The Nuclear Winter(Elsanna)
by APersonNamedEssex
Summary: Elsa is a woman who has made a name for herself and her girlfriend, Anna, across the United States Wasteland after an apocalypse of world-ending proportions. Anna has stuck with her since Elsa saved her from a life of servitude. What neither women knows is just how close they really are to one another.(Warning:Contains an overabundance of smut)post-apocalyptic, possible icest later
1. Chapter 1: First Signs of Winter

_**Chapter I: The First Signs of Winter**_

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Elsa stepped out of her jeep onto the dried, cracked mud that used to be the Mississippi River. It had dried long ago and she only knew what it was because of the overgrown signs on the sides of the ridge surrounding the small valley that was once the bed of the river. The feeling was back again.

Her dog, Bullet, a pure white Siberian Husky, hopped out along side her as she scanned the horizon for what she was looking for. From the passenger seat, she heard Anna getting out to join her.

"Everything alright?" She asked.

"Yeah... I just wanted to stop for a minute." Elsa said.

Anna reached her arms around Elsa's waist and pecked her on the cheek. "Okay. Just checking on you." Anna rested her chin on her shoulder and Elsa leaned into the touch and closed her eyes.

After a minute of enjoying the embrace, Anna let go and got back in the jeep with Bullet. Elsa got her binoculars out of the back and scanned the horizon for anything interesting. Finding nothing worth looking into, she put the binoculars back and got back in, started it and pressed on the gas. They had driven this way before and knew most of what to expect. The few groups of raiders on the way to their destination left them alone.

Their reputation throughout the region spread like wild fire. One story that the two frequently heard was of Elsa freeing captured settlers turned to slaves from a raider camp close to Saint Louis and leading them all a hundred miles south to a large settlement called Old Orleans. After getting the dozen or so clothed and fed, she disappeared only to reappear in the Illinois Territory.

Anna was a product of Elsa's heroism. She was saved from a brutal warlord who had captured her near the Great Lakes who had held her as his own personal servant. Elsa had saw her getting beaten by his soldiers and saved her by killing them and the warlord when he stated that he would find and kill both of them after his arms were blasted off by Elsa's shotgun.

As they sped up the Mississippi, the feeling returned to Elsa but she ignored it, thinking of just earlier. They kept going until a large crashed cargo plane came into view. Cautious, Elsa brought the jeep to a stop a distance away. "Stay here, ill be back." she told Anna, But as she was stepping out, Anna grabbed her hand and jerked her back in and kissed her. It only lasted a few seconds, but Elsa pulled away smiling and said, "Ill be okay." With that she pulled away and got her M4 off the roof rack and slung it over her shoulder. The adrenaline started to kick in and she pulled her gas mask up over her mouth and nose and her cloak's hood over her mane of long, platinum blonde hair.

Walking up to the huge, wrecked aircraft, she raised her rifle to the windows watching for movement. She felt someone watching her and she smiled at who she knew it was. Shuffling came from behind one of the crushed landing gear and as soon as the thing reared its ugly head, it was on its way to the ground, head exploded by one of Anna's explosive rounds. Elsa knew she was watching. Its just how they worked. She'd have to thank her later for that.

The rear cargo ramp was opened and inside it was virtually empty, save for a few bloody piles of gore and military uniforms, a couple tents, and a firepit, and a few long green lockboxes near the cockpit ladder. _This plane_ , she thought, _looked like one of the relief planes the Army had sent before the infection hit_. But it looked like it had been picked clean ages ago. The dead soldiers still had their weapons, and some gear making this little stop not a total bust so she piled them at the end of the loading ramp along with the vests, gas masks, pistols, and even a few hand grenades she found that were basically the only remnants of the devoured soldiers besides bone and spent round casings.

She dragged the long green boxes to the end of the ramp and moved out into the open to signal for Anna to bring up the jeep and then went to check the cockpit. The pilots were long gone; probably ran off or pulled out somewhere and eaten like the others. All that was left in one seat was the helmet with the name 'Jackson' on it and a couple of bottles of water in a case near the ladder.

Elsa strutted down the ramp, gas mask and hood down, to greet Anna with a hug and found herself locking lips with her instead. Anna's hand ran down her back and pulled Elsa's chest closer to hers while their tongues danced around eachother. Elsa brought her hands up to Anna's waist and pushed her back onto the jeep, their lips never losing contact.

Elsa pulled away panting and kissed her neck and whispered,"when we get home-" she paused pulling back and locking eyes with Anna"-you're mine." Anna beamed a huge smile pulling away and retrieving the weapons from the end of the ramp, all the while Elsa stood admiring her curvy form. Anna's shorter, but still long, fiery red hair complimented her teal-green eyes in a way that made Elsa practically melt. Elsa's eyes were a deep icy-blue, but she always thought Anna's teal-greens were the most beautiful thing she'd ever seen. Little did she know that her icy blue eyes had a similar effect on Anna. They loaded up the jeep and looked around the plane to see if there were anything else they could use.

While Elsa was on the other side checking out a humvee that looked like it was getting worked on, she heard Bullet start barking and snarling. He was usually their alarm so something had to be wrong. She drew her pistol and sprinted around the side of the plane. One of the pilots(dead as she thought) had returned and was ontop of Anna struggling to get a bite at her throat.

Bullet had bitten the things arm and was shaking it to get him off. Elsa started running again, this time she holstered her gun and pulled out her spiked knuckles she got off a highwayman who tried to jump them. After drop kicking the undead pilot off Anna she got up and started punching madly at its partially exposed skull. After blood covered her hands she stopped and looked back to see Anna curled up against the jeep, weeping. Dropping the knuckles, Elsa ran over and got down to eye level with Anna.

She was shaking and crying and Elsa didn't know what to do, so she cupped Anna's cheek and brushed a bang behind her ear and kissed her forehead. "It's alright, Anna, it's dead now, see?" Anna looked over her shoulder at the body and back into Elsa's soothing gaze. She nodded her head weakly, panting to catch her breath. "You're okay, you're safe now. Im here." Elsa smiled reassuringly at her and got up, reached under Anna's shaking legs and just under her shoulder blades and picked her up. Anna was surprisingly light for her curvy figure and Elsa easily moved her into the passenger seat. Before going to load the rest of the salvage, she leaned in for one more quick kiss. "I love you and I'll be right here, okay. Im not gonna go anywhere."

Anna shook her head. "I love you too" she gave a small smile, telling Elsa she would be okay.

Elsa shut the door and loaded up the remaining salvage from the plane. The humvee, however, was another story. After an hour of working on the bolts and other fastenings, the .50 caliber was off it and strapped onto the top of their jeep along with some ammo cans, a case of MREs, another rifle, some gas cans, a couple spare wheels and parts and armor plating that Elsa was using to build her own little project, and even a rocket launcher that was in the back of the humvee. Anna had fallen asleep lying sideways with her knees to her chest.

Elsa took off her long black cloak and spread it across her love, making sure it covered Anna enough to keep her warm. It was freezing outside, but Elsa still had a black Old Navy hoodie on, so she felt she was fine giving a little bit of warmth to Anna who hadn't been sleeping very well recently. _She needs all the sleep she can get_ , Elsa thought. They sped along the Mississippi heading North to one of their havens that they had become revered members of. They had multiple safe houses and havens that they would move to between traveling and scavenging runs, this one, though, was Anna's Favorite. Night soon came and they came across it... Memphis.

Elsa pulled the jeep up the small ramp from the dry river bed to a highway into the heart of Memphis, Tennessee. A few blocks later they were at their destination. The huge pyramid structure stood out in a neighborhood of tall rectangular buildings, making it easy to find.

Elsa pulled the jeep around into an alley back behind it and down into a loading dock zone. The six loading dock gates were all opened except for the two farthest from the center which were raised half way, but the two center gates were the only ones they could go into, which had been joined into one with the concrete pillar that had once separated them demolished. The ones to the right and to the left each had a small sandbag wall with a mounted .50 caliber machine gun behind it. The men manning the guns and the ones standing beside them with their rifles slung over heavy coats were part of a small but busy settlement Elsa had become a part of years ago when she was still just getting out into the world.

Elsa pulled up and stopped as a guard came up to clear them to move through. All residents of the Pyramid Colony had a simple red cloth attached to their shoulder by pins to tell if they had been there yet. If she didn't have her pass, they would have to go through a long process to get reinstated, but lucky for her, she never took it off. The guard waved her in and she drove inside and turned down a hallway that was the traders market. She slowed down to a steady 15 miles an hour and avoiding anyone in the finally turned left down into a section of stadium that used to be the luxury box in the stadium that was sectioned off just for her. She, and with the help of some of the off duty guards who were willing to help, had built a small house and garage out of a section of luxury booths overlooking the stadium.

After pulling into her small garage and shutting the sliding door, she got out and whistled for Bullet to climb out behind her. She went to the other side and opened the door only to catch a deep sleeping Anna in her arms. Silently chuckling to herself, She reached under her legs and picked her up carrying her through the doorway to their home and then back into their bedroom and onto their bed. She quietly slid Anna's boots off and threw them into their closet along with her socks, pants and coat and then did the same with herself. She slid into bed next to the love of her life and fell into a deep slumber with the last thing she saw being Anna's peaceful sleeping face.

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 _ **A/N Hey guys! How's it going? Was it any good? haha This is my very first Fic. Ever. Anywhere. So it could be good, or it could be terrible haha. either way, thanks for the read. You guys are awesome. Update sooner than you know it!**_


	2. Chapter 2: Fire and Ice

_**Chapter II: Fire and Ice**_

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Elsa woke up with Anna's head resting on her chest. When they first met, she always did that. Anna claimed it was because it was like sleeping on a cloud. Elsa didn't ever object though, she even admitted that Anna's chest was her favorite sleeping spot too. With Elsa's DD and Anna C size breasts so they both had to wrestle over who slept on who. But usually it was Anna who won the rolling match by pinning Elsa's hands above her head and kissing her to make her quit fidgeting. The teasing Elsa went through was horrible; Anna would kiss her down her neck and slip down and then fall asleep on her chest, leaving Elsa turned on and flustered beyond belief. It never ended with her though. Elsa loved it and she was happy she had that to go home to. She absolutely adored Anna and cherished every moment she could get with her.

The dawning sun, peaking over the buildings of Memphis, shown through their bedroom window, illuminating her bright red hair and smooth pale skin against Elsa's own slightly paler skin. Anna's body felt warm against Elsa's in the cool air of the room and her skin prickled with goosebumps at the temperature difference. Anna had been awake for a while now, enjoying the time she was getting with Elsa. She felt Elsa start to relax and, to keep her awake, she ran her fingers up Elsa's bare thighs, enticing a slight gasp from her soft lips. Eventually she ran into that dreadful thing called a shirt, so she slid her hand under the seam and over Elsa's stomach. Elsa couldn't help but giggle slightly while biting her bottom lip. Her shuddering breath signaled Anna's hands arrival to their destination. She hoped to God that this wasn't one of Anna's teases; she would throw a fit if it was. When the second hand found her other breast and joined its partners in massaging, she knew it wasn't the case and let out a soft moan when she felt Anna's lips make contact with the skin of her neck.

Elsa was in full ecstasy when Anna moved her hands down her sides and latched on to her backside. Elsa couldn't take it anymore so she grabbed Anna by the waist and rolled her over to be on top. She pinned her hands against the pillows and leaned down into a deep kiss. The kiss got a little more heated, turning into their tongues battling for dominance in eachothers mouths. Elsa broke the kiss, moving down Anna's neck, biting and licking over the marks, only stopping shortly to suck at Anna's pulse. This time, Elsa ran into that damn thing too. The shirt again. Elsa decided in that moment that she hated shirts and from that point on shed like nothing more than to rip it off Anna to expose her amazing chest and stomach. So she does just that starting at the collar, she locks lips while slowly working the tear down her body and when its effectively torn in half, she sits up to admire her work.

Anna's leg was between her own and while she was staring and biting her lip, Anna raised her leg up to meet Elsa's soaking wet panties, causing Elsa to quiver and bend back over to hold herself up with shaky arms. Anna giggled at how turned on she had made her lover. "Ohh fuck.." Elsa managed to get out between breaths. Anna stopped with her leg and pulled Elsa's shirt off, letting her see the beauty that was in front of her. After gawking at how sexy she looked in simple dark blue panties, she wrapped her arms around Elsa and her legs around her thighs and pulled her back down on top of her. "I'm cold" she said, smiling.

Elsa giggled, "ill keep you warm." She said as she pulled the huge comforter over them. They kissed again but slower, their tongues learning every detail of the other, and Elsa moved a hand from Anna's plump rear and followed her panties seam to the front where she pushed in further and rubbed along the sides of her core, teasing her for all the times she's been teased. "Mmm..." Anna whimpers and breaks the kiss."Please, don't tease me like that." She pleads with a slight pout and sad eyes.

"You've been a very bad girl.. I think I could get some revenge." Elsa moves her palm over her sensitive nub and rubs back and forth. Ann's eyes rolled back along with her head and a loud moan coming straight from her mouth. The louder the moan, the more right the move Elsa had done. Elsa moved her mouth down Anna's shoulder down to her perky breasts, taking a nipple into her mouth and sucking, nibbling and running her tongue in circles around it, making it harden instantly. Anna's hips start bucking into Elsa's hand. She was about to orgasm and Elsa knew exactly what Anna wanted her to do. She stopped rubbing and pulled her hand out of Anna's panties only to remove them entirely.

She kissed down her stomach slowly and soon her tongue came into contact with Anna's clit, making her repeat her reaction from Elsa's palm earlier. With both hands holding on to Anna's shaking waist, Elsa circled her tongue around her little nub, making sure to run the full length of her tongue over it every few seconds. Anna's moans were at their peek, echoing through the house; her hips quaked as Elsa dipped a finger inside of her and felt her inner walls constrict around it. Elsa then slid her middle finger in as well pulling it out gleaming with Anna's pleasure. She licked it off and continues licking at Anna's opening until she stopped shaking and whimpering, being sure to lap up every bit she could. She moved up Anna's body, making sure to kiss every few inches on the way to Anna's mouth. Anna had other plans though; she sits up and pushes Elsa down on her back.

Climbing on top of her, Anna immediately pulls off Elsa's panties and throws them on the shag carpet floor. Her hand goes from Elsa's face to her amazing breasts and then down to her centre, instantly granting her a few moans from the beautiful mess in front of her. She started out soft at first, using her index and middle fingers rubbing her clit and then moves them in, still rubbing Elsa's nub with her thumb, making her moan louder and grab the sheets next to her. Her other hand gently massaged Elsa's breast and occasionally twisted her erect nipples while her teeth nipped at her neck. She moved down occasionally, stopping at a breast, and taking taking her nipple into her mouth. She pulled away, making a popping sound as her mouth left the milky white skin.

Anna's lips crashed into Elsa's, finally, her tongue immediately being granted access into her lover's mouth. As she went faster and deeper into her, Elsa moaned hard into Anna's mouth. Her thumb pressing into Elsa's clit and her hips started bucking to the rhythm of Anna's fingers entering and exiting. Seconds later, she moaned loud and her hips started quaking on Anna's hand, so she put her whole weight down onto her girlfriends body. Her finger was shiny when she pulled it up to their faces. They both licked it at the same time meeting tongues at the tip. They stayed under the comforter another hour, and after making out for the good part of an hour, they cuddled together with Elsa's head resting on Anna's bear chest. They both slipped into a calm slumber, a small smile graced Elsa's lips just as sleep overtook her. She was finally on Anna's chest for a change, and it felt oh-so good.

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 **A/N I know, i know, Smut, smut, SmUt, and more SMUT! But its okay, cause lets all face it, if its the apocalypse, there'd be alot more sex goin on than normal, what with the "If today was your last day" kinda thing goin through peoples heads. Anywho! Thanks for reading! Favorite and review to tell me how i'm doin so far!**


	3. Chapter 3: Same Day, Different Night

**_Chapter III: Same Day, Different Night_**

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Elsa woke up, still on Anna's bare chest. She kissed softly up from her nipple to her neck and then to her lips, causing Anna give a cute little grin, and got up out of bed, being sure not to fully wake Anna from her deep sleep. Her hair was all over the place and She stood for a moment, just looking and smiling at how lucky she was to have such a beautiful woman in her life. It was the 27th, only a few more days till Anna's birthday and Elsa's had yet to get her anything. She went to the bathroom and then put on her black underwear that was thrown across the floor, her tight black jeans, a purple t-shirt that was on her dresser, and a black sweater, and her long black cloak. After strapping into her black boots, she buckled her pistol holster on her right hip and her knife sheath on on the other. After making sure her platinum blonde hair wasn't a complete mess, she went into the garage to unpack the load from yesterday.

She sorted through it and put away all the supplies and piled the guns and gear next to the back of her jeep. She would sell a few of the rifles that were extra and the two vests she got from the dead soldiers would do nicely after they were cleaned of the gore stains. Later, she would load them up with her magazines and grenades for future trips out into No Man's Land. Moving the stuff wasn't hard, it just took a couple trips to get everything sorted out right. She got done with organizing her vest and left Anna's with a pile of magazines, grenades, pouches, and a couple other accessories so she could make her own. She knew Anna hated it when she had things done for her.. Elsa didn't mind the independence, though she didn't mind in the least to do something for her Anna. She put the vest in the back driver side seat of the jeep and walked to the back where a tarp covered her own little construction project. Elsa pulled off the tarp and got to work on putting on the wheels and armor plating she'd gotten off the humvee and a radio she got from the cockpit of the plane.

Two hours later she was nearly done. The project wasn't, but she had run out of parts to add so she was done herself. With her black fingerless gloves back on, she unstrapped the .50 caliber off the roof of the jeep and brought it to the top of the incomplete vehicle, bolting it onto the hatch that was on the roof. All the vehicle needed was a new radiator and a wheel from a humvee and it would be done. She could add more weapons and armor to it, like she had her jeep, later when she had the parts. She called it the Raptor. It looked the part with its dune-truck sort of look it had but with a more military body. The .50 she just put on top and the two she had put in the back facing out the rear window a couple weeks ago were in working order and she put the rocket launcher they had in the back seat. After she went down to the market to sell her catch, she could probably get a working radiator from a car lot in downtown Memphis. she knew where to go but that was for another day.

Getting the long green boxes out wasn't as much of a hassle as she thought and she set them each on a flatbed cart that was close by. She could make out the letters "USMC" on the top of one of them so she thought that meant this was probably just more rifles or something of that nature. She opened a box and inside were several pieces of, what looked like, a mini-gun. She opened the other three to find the same thing. The last two boxes she opened had row after row of bullets. They were all arranged in long belts and were rolled up and packed tightly into the box, making Elsa poke herself a few times to make sure she wasn't dreaming while shaking a rolled up belt out. She put it back and closed the boxes then moved the cart back against the wall. Not having much more time till night fell, she loaded up the pile of salvage she made into her jeep and drove down to the market.

Their friend Rahja, a short and elderly Indian man who was usually the one to buy her haul, met her at the turn into the market and guided her behind a small shop. They worked out a deal where Elsa got a spare wheel that Rahja had in his storage shed. He also gave her the amount of silver dollars for the salvage and some that he owed her for being short last time. "Are there any old jewelry stores close to here?" she asked while he was setting the rifles he'd just bought out to resell.

"Well... there is the Gold n Diamond Jewelers just across the river bed." he said.

"Have you been over there before?" she asked, filled with excitement.

"Not in many years. I've heard the guards say that there were packs of infected over there, though. So you better watch yourself, missy, or you'll get more than you bargained for." He cracked a smile to uplift her from the small bombshell he just delivered. He knew nothing he could say would stop her now.

"Do you know if its been scavenged yet?" she asked.

"In these times, i doubt anyone needs shiny rocks and pretty metal." he chuckled. She still looked like she needed an answer so he said, "No, dear, i don't think it has." She practically jumped with joy, beaming like a kid tasting her first soda. She thanked him and hugged him goodbye. She got in her jeep and pulled back into the crowded street heading for home.

She pulled into their garage and slid the large metal door shut, then walked into her house. upon opening the door she was greeted by the sight of Anna's breasts thrusted into the air and her name being moaned throughout the tiny home. Slowly walking towards the bed, shedding her clothes soundlessly, she ran her hands up Anna's feet and then her legs, crawling up her body until her face was level with her sweet opening. Elsa's tongue started at the bottom of her slit and went upwards until she hit her clit and there, she circled around it, earning short gasps and high pitched moans from the angel lying on her back. Her cries grew louder and a hand went behind Elsa's head pulling her in tighter. Elsa's tongue was working hard at rubbing Anna's clit while her fingers teased at going inside. Anna's moans became pleading whimpers and with that, She pushed a finger inside and then squeezed in another right after. A breathless whimper was her answer and the hand in her hair only squeezed her mouth down tighter on her little bud. Elsa felt her starting to cum when she arched her back and clamped her legs around Elsa's head. Her tongue still moved against Anna's slit, licking at all the liquid that came out, being sure not to miss any. After she calmed down enough to think, Anna sat up and grabbed the sides of Elsa's face bringing her up to meet her lips.

Anna leaned back pulling Elsa with her down on top of her. They broke apart with Anna catching her breath and Elsa chuckling at how well of a job she did. Anna was always horny, but luckily she had Elsa, who didn't blame her because she was somewhat the same way.. that and the fact that she got to eat out the love of her life whenever she felt like it; she didn't even have to ask, Anna gave her permission long ago. Anna being almost nineteen and Elsa twenty two, they were perfect for eachother.

Anna went to the bathroom while Elsa remained on the bed, sucking her fingers clean of Anna's amazing taste. Anna came out still wearing nothing but her sexy body and laid down on top of Elsa, aligning their bodies perfectly with each other. Elsa slowly leaned in and their lips brushed lightly before Anna's hand came up to hold her cheek and she felt Anna's tongue on her lips begging for entrance. She gladly accepted, moving her own tongue with Anna's. After making out a few more minutes, Anna broke off, kissing her a few more times before she rolled off onto the floor. Elsa giggled as Anna stumbled and up and fell back onto the bed next to Elsa. "Hey get dressed, i wanna show you something."

"Oh? and what might this something be?" Anna slighly grinned.

"Its a surprise! I cant tell you... even with your adorable puppy dog eyes." Elsa got lost in Anna's endearing gaze and had to shake herself away to get ready before it turned into another make-out session. She was taking her to a spot that she had found months before she met Anna. It had the best view of the area and she thought it was the perfect spot to take Anna to for a little date night.

To get ready, she went to the bathroom and took a shower while Anna picked out an outfit to wear. But, as predictable as Anna is to Elsa, she didn't expect to see her climbing into the shower with her. Before she could say anything Anna had pushed her against the smooth white wall and her hands on both sides of her ass. With steaming hot water pouring over them, Anna started rubbing Elsa's pussy, pressing her against the wall. She leaned in, nibbling and sucking on her neck, giving her a red spot on her neck and red hair matting to both girl's skin, intermixing the colors. One of Elsa's hands went to Anna's back while the other moved through her hair. She pulled her in closer, moving her hand and in its place, came Anna's thigh. Both girls started grinding their hips together and after a few seconds they became synced, moaning into eachothers mouths. One of Elsa's hands went around Anna's back and onto her shoulder while the other went to her butt, intensifying the pressure from her thrusts. Elsa's thigh was doing the same to Anna, who was panting heavily with both hands holding Elsa close. Anna started to whimper and her thrusts became heavier and faster and seconds later, Elsa did the same. As they both came at the same time, they rested on eachother, quivering and shaking from the intense orgasm they were going through.

They stayed that way for what felt like hours, but was only seconds and made out while washing eachothers bodies. When they were done they got out and dried off, walking back to their cool bedroom.

"your nipples are hard," Anna said, giggling.

"Looks like I'm not the only one," Elsa retorted pointing at her lover's equally erect nipples and chuckling along with her. They both smirked and got out their outfits for the night. Elsa picked out her sexy dark blue underwear with the black trim and matching bra, a neon Purple shirt that hung off one of her shoulders, some tight black leather pants and some black knee high heel boots. Anna put on some bright red and black underwear and a Green Long sleeve v neck shirt with a black knee length skirt and some short black boots. Both girls took turns straightening her hair. Elsa's shimmering white platinum blonde hair was had a slight wave to it, which only added to how big of a mane it was. She braided it into a single large braid over her shoulder, tying it with a bright blue ribbon she had since she was a kid. Anna put her hair into two pigtails that she knew Elsa loved so much and left her bangs free to frame her face.

They walked into the garage, both putting on a black coat to deal with the cold, Elsa making sure everything was in place and locked, and Anna getting Bullet to get into the jeep from his dog house just outside. They got in the jeep and drove out of the market to the exit.

"Now where's two sexy women such as yourselves going on a night like this?" A young guard with a slight stubble on his chin around their age said looking through the passenger side window.

"Pig." Anna snorted.

The man scoffed and shot a glare at her.

"Easy, Joseph. They may look like house cats, but they're all tigers on the inside." Isaac, the guard Captain on duty, warned."This is Elsa n' Anna... both have been here for a few years and know virtually everyone here. Now that's more than I can say for you. So why don't you let the young ladies through?" Isaac told more than asked.

"Thanks Isaac." Elsa said.

"No problem ma'am. You tell me if anyone gives you trouble out there.. ill have my men deal with 'em."

"You know we can handle ourselves." Anna chipped in giggling at his proposal.

"I still owe you both my life... anything you need just holler."

"Alright, i will if the opportunity comes. Thanks again Isaac."

Isaac tipped his cap and they drove into the night heading down the turnpike.

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 **A/N I know, too much smut.. lol hope you guys don't mind, but i want this to seem as real as i can get it.. even though its pretty far from it. So.. You guys ready to get into the action? cause it starts up here soon. Hope you guys are liking it so far! i kinda listened to some rock music while writing this and its helped immensely to calm my thoughts and focus. As usual, Fav and review to tell me how i'm doin! thanks!**


	4. Chapter 4: The Perfect Gift

**_Chapter IV: The Perfect Gift_**

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Elsa brought the jeep to a stop in front of a dark, unmarked building; it's front windows boarded up long ago. The couple got out at the same time, Anna holding back slightly as she let Elsa take the lead. "What is this place? Looks like it should've fallen a decade ago."

"It's a surprise, i can't tell you." Elsa said looking back and smiling at her love. "I just know you'll love it, though!" She waited for Anna to catch up and snaked her arm around her waist.

"Oh, I love surprises! Can you give me a hint?"

"Nuh uh, i am NOT spoiling this one.. not after you pieced together my last surprise so easily." she narrowed her eyes at Anna.

"Awe come on, it was pretty obvious it was the Eiffel Tower in Vegas when you said it was our version of the French one. Please, Elsa, just one tiny hint?" Anna gave Elsa her signature puppy dog eyes, and Elsa immediately looked away.

"Nope, nuh uh, not falling for it." Anna nuzzled into Elsa's neck while they were turning into a back street behind the dreary looking building. She started nibbling at Elsa's neck, eliciting soft sighs from the older woman. She put her index finger on the other side of Elsa's chin, moving it towards her and down making their lips come together.

"Fine, i can wait." She said after she pulled away.

Elsa narrowed her eyes again, a playful smirk on her face. Anna looked up at her. "What?" she asked.

"You _never_ give up that easily.."

"Well, if you must know, being around you has taught me some patience."

"Mhmm, whatever. Last i checked, you were still as anxious as Bullet when we find a squeeze toy." Anna laughed at that, pulling elsa into an embrace. She pulled away, kissing Elsa's cheek as she went. Elsa held her gaze for a few moments, looking endearingly at her girlfriend.

"So what now?" Anna asked.

"hmm? Oh right." Elsa turned, un-notching a board from its place and swung the door open. The inside looked so much more inviting than the front of the building. A black and red spotted couch lined the wall on their right side, facing a fireplace and near a wall across the room there was an old painting of a women in shining armor. Anna sworn she had seen it before but didn't mention it out loud, hoping not to break the moment. She reached forward taking Elsa's hand in hers, intertwining their fingers. On the left side was a staircase leading up to another floor Elsa was leading her towards. They walked up and Anna's eyes grew wider with each step. Moon light shown through three glass windows, lighting up the room in a sort of surreal glow. To their right was a small mattress on the ground surrounded by several unlit candles. Now that she looked around a little more, she noticed several other candles that hadn't been lit yet. Elsa had only stopped for a second, and started walking again turning them around to another flight of stairs that lead up to the roof. Anna purposely lagged behind to get a look at Elsa's black leather clad hips swaying back and forth. She sighed contently as she knew that she would never got tired of those amazing hips of Elsa's.

Elsa opened the door to the roof and let go of Anna's hand, making her miss the contact instantly. She walked forward under a blue blanket that was hanging overhead and motioned for Anna to come join her. Without hesitating, she walked up to where Elsa was and her eyes widened in awe. They were at the edge of the building overlooking a forest and small pond where the moon reflected perfectly off the water. Elsa brought her arms around Anna's waist and rested her chin on Anna's shoulder. "Surprise, my love." Anna was to awestruck to move. She was afraid if she looked away, the perfect scenery would vanish and she would never see it again. Elsa kissed her neck and sidestepped a little pulling Anna down with her onto a small couch that Anna hadn't realized was there.

"Ill be right back," said Elsa. Anna nodded, watching Elsa's butt swaying as she walked away. _Damn her hips! S_ he thought. She couldn't keep her blush contained at the thought of them earlier that morning when the hips in question were grinding against hers. She heard the door to the roof shut and for a few minutes just stared out at the pond, watching a doe walk out to the water, a small fawn following just behind her. She observed them go to the water and drink until a sound in the distance spooked the mother into trotting off back into the brush. The door opened then shut again, prompting Elsa's return. Soft hands went in front of her eyes, making her gasp. "Are you ready for your surprise, Anna?" She nodded her head yes. "Keep your eyes closed."

Anna slitted her eyes to peek through and see the surprise, but instead was met by two bright blue orbs staring back at her."Dang it." she said.

"No peaking." Elsa seductively whispered and pecked Anna's lips.

Anna smiled, knowing she had been found out. "Yes, my Queen." Elsa giggled and Anna could hear her getting on her knees in front of the couch she was on and felt a line of cold metal being laid around her neck.

"Okay, now open." She opened her eyes slowly and saw Elsa smiling with a slight blush on her cheeks. Anna looked down at the small metal necklace that was now draped over her neck. The small cross pendant had a small bright red painted rose chiseled out of it. A tear came to her eyes and she looked up at Elsa, who was wringing her hands in her lap. "D-Do you like it?" She wanted to say yes but all that came out was a choked whimper, so she just shook her head, throwing herself forward into Elsa's arms.

"I-It's b-beautiful," she pulled away slightly to where their foreheads were touching looked down at the simple chain and cross, and then back up into her Elsa's eyes. "I love you," kiss,"I love you," kiss,"I love you," kiss."I love you so much, Elsa." Elsa buried her face into the crook of Anna's neck and giggled.

"I love you too, Anna," she smiled. Elsa stood up, reaching out and taking Anna's hand in her own and led her to the door and down the stairs. The room was lit with candles and the light level felt perfect on both of their eyes. Elsa let go of Anna's hand, which she hated doing, but she walked over to the old record player and started a song by putting down the needle on a record that was already on it. The song was a slow-jazz and Anna, seeing as to how cheesy Elsa could be sometimes, could see where this was going. She walked over to the blonde, placing her hands on Elsa's hips, who in turn, put her hands on top of Anna's. They started swaying to the beat and Elsa turned in Anna's arms to face her, bringing her head down to rest on Anna's shoulder.

"You are so adorable." Elsa said, giggling at the faint blush that had crawled up her lover's neck and settled in her cheeks.

"N-Not as adorable as you are." Anna quipped.

"That's not true.. I mean just look at you." Elsa said just above a whisper, caressing Anna's cheek.

Anna looked up in thought, a playful grin on her face. "I don't see a mirror in here..."

Elsa lightly swatted her shoulder. "You know what i mean, don't be a butthole."

"You'd like that, wouldn't you." Anna said giggling as it was Elsa's turn to blush. Elsa moved her hands from Anna's lower back down to rest her butt and lightly squeezed. "Ya know what, i think i would. Especially if it's yours that we're talkin' about." They both laughed and Elsa took Anna's hand leading her over to the mattress that was surrounded by just recently lit candles and laid down pulling Anna down on top of her.

"I don't want tonight to ever end.. Can't we just stay here forever like this?" Anna asked as she laid on top of Elsa, their bodies perfectly aligned. Instead of answering, Elsa pulled both of Anna's pigtails down for their lips to meet in a passionate kiss. Elsa felt Anna's tongue asking for entrance when it grazed her lower lip, which she obliged opening her mouth just slightly. One of her hands went up behind Anna's head and ran through her fiery hair while the other was on her lower back. Anna's arms both ran under Elsa and settled at just below her shoulder blades. Elsa broke the kiss and rested her forehead on Anna's. "Hmm," she smiled contently, " _My_ Anna. I don't know where i'd be without you." Anna pecked her on the lips and looked at the floor next them with something Elsa only describe as sadness

"Anna? Is everything okay?"

"Yeah, i'm fine. It's just.. I don't want to go to sleep tonight. I wanna stay up with you. I hate sleeping now. All i do is dream the same dream over and over again and it's making me sick. I mean, you see your one true love dying every night for a week straight, only to find them curled up next to you.. or in my case, i guess _i'm_ the one curled up next you, but still, i can't sleep anymore, Elsa." Elsa only nodded and rubbed Anna's back in circles, comforting the younger woman.

"Do you wanna talk about it? You know you never have to deal with this alone. I-I mean if you don't want to, thats fi-" her nervous babbling was brought short by Anna's lips against hers. She separated herself, looking into icey blue eyes. "Let's just enjoy tonight. We can talk about it later, okay?" The corners of her lips quirking up slightly down at Elsa.

"Okay, whenever you're ready Anna; i'm always going to be here for you no matter what." Elsa smiled back.

Anna giggled at a thought."Well you're right about always being here _"_ she giggled," 'cause i'm _always_ on top."

It took a second for Elsa to get the joke, and slowly a smile grew on her face and she joined Anna in a fit of laughter. She was too late, however, in feeling the hands going down her back and into her sides. Elsa squealed and struggled against the offending appendages that now attacked her ribcage.

"A-aha-Annahaha-" she couldn't talk straight without laughing and there was no way she was getting away from Anna's stubborn grips on her sides, so she took the only option that was available to her. She reached through Anna's barrage of tickling hands and grabbed her shoulders and rolled over, getting on top. "Well look what we got here, a rebellion on our hands." Elsa said. "Time for a counter attack!" She reached her hands out, and when she saw Anna going on the defense of her precious sides, she took both of Anna's wrists in one hand and pinned them above her head, using the other to run along her sides, squeezing and tickling up and down. Anna struggled in vain to get away, so she just let it happen, laughing the entire time. Eventually, Elsa discontinued her tirade of tickles and let go of Anna's wrists, taking one in her hand while the other slid up her side, over her shoulder and up her arm, taking her hand and interlocking their fingers. Anna's eyes sparkled in the candle light, her teal turning into a beautiful aqua color, while Elsa's turned into a deep blue. Both girls leaned towards eachother, their lips meeting mid-way. Anna sighed contently into the kiss, breaking away after a couple seconds.

"I got another surprise for you." Elsa said ducking her head to kiss Anna's neck.

Anna's eyes grew wide. " _Another_ surprise?! What is this? My early birthday or something?" She smiled.

"Nope. Just a special gift for a very special girl." Elsa lifted her head up, smiling down on Anna. "It's in my back pocket." Anna kept smiling at Elsa, biting her lower lip and ran a hand down Elsa's curvy form, from her shoulder, down her back and finally came to a rest on her butt, giving it a hard surprise squeeze that made Elsa gasp and swat her shoulder again.

"What? You know i can't resist an ass this good." she said, resuming biting her lip and squeezing a little softer. She felt over Elsa's back pocket something plastic protruding out the top and pulled it out, running the edges of the wrapping up Elsa's back, granting a shiver down Elsa's spine. She had goosebumps when Anna pulled the thing under Elsa's arm and in between them. "You never forget, do you?" she smiled endearingly at Elsa.

Elsa giggled."How could I? last time i got you chocolate, you had it all over your adorable little face. Now that is something i just will not forget."

Anna broke off a piece of the Hershey's bar. "Kiss me," she said while putting the rectangle between her teeth. Elsa leaned in, her tongue going into Anna's mouth before their lips even touched. Both of the girls tongues ran against the chocolate piece in between, which was quickly melting away, leaving the two with a sweet taste as they held their embrace. Anna sucked on Elsa's tongue as she pulled away.

"We should share more often." Both women giggled as Anna put the mostly whole chocolate bar off to the side.

Anna yawned, stretching out under Elsa. "Someone's tired. Hang on, i'll be right back." Elsa got up and went to the other side of the room retrieving a blanket from a small foot locker. She walked back over to Anna, taking both hers and Anna's shoes off, and laid down spreading the blanket over them both as she brought her head down next to Anna's. Before she could register the movement, Anna had brought her head down to lay on Elsa's chest. She sighed contently and wrapped her arms around Elsa's body, shifting one of her legs around one of Elsa's. Elsa sighed deep, closed her eyes and whispered,"You little sneak." Anna chuckled to herself, almost inaudible.

She raised her head once and kissed a bare spot of creamy skin exposed near Elsa's neck. "I love you. Thank you.. for everything; for being my everything." Elsa was practically beaming as she kissed the top of Anna's head.

"I love you too. I wouldn't rather be anywhere else than with my Anna." Anna felt the warmth of her love blossom in her chest with Elsa's protectiveness. She didn't just feel right being with Elsa, she felt like she _belonged_ with her. Little did she know that Elsa felt the same about her in every way.

She felt Anna take in a breath as if she were going to say something, only to hold it and release a moment later.

"What is it? Is everything okay?"

"Yeah, it's just.. could you sing for me?"

The request caught Elsa a little off guard, but she smiled, nonetheless. She ran a hand through copper hair while thinking of a song. She hummed for no particular reason,"I'd be happy to."

" _Here I stand, helpless and left for dead_

 _Close your eyes, so many days go by_

 _Easy to find what's wrong_

 _Harder to find what's right_ ," She looked up to the ceiling, lightly running her nails on Anna's scalp.

" _I believe in you, I can show you that_

 _I can see right through all your empty lies_

 _I won't stay long, in this world so wrong_

 _Say goodbye, as we dance with the devil tonight._

 _Don't you dare look at him in the eye_

 _As we dance with the devil tonight_

 _Trembling, crawling across my skin_

 _Feeling your cold dead eyes_

 _Stealing the life of mine_

 _I believe in you, I can show you that_

 _I can see right through all your empty lies_

 _I won't last long, in this world so wrong_

 _Say goodbye, as we dance with the devil tonight_

 _Don't you dare look at him in the eye_

 _As we dance with the devil tonight_

 _Hold on, hold on_

 _Say goodbye, as we dance with the devil tonight_

 _Don't you dare look at him in the eye_

 _As we dance with the devil tonight_

 _Hold on, hold on_."

After she felt Anna's breathing get heavier and her body ting fully against her's, Elsa leaned forward and kissed the top of Anna's head. "Sweet dreams, my love." She let sleep overcome her. The last thing on her mind was her one love, her life, her everything. Her Anna.

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 **A/N I've got this story on track from now on. I know where i wanna go with it. I just hope you guys like it! Sorry if i cant update often, with school and work, but i'm gonna try and get at least three chapters a week out here for you guys n gals who are oh-so-awesome. As always, favorite if you liked it and follow if you wanna get told when i add a new chapter. Leave a review and tell me how i'm doin so far. They mean everything to me just like Anna means everything to Elsa.. By the way, guests who don't have accounts can leave reviews too. You're opinion is just as important. Leave your thoughts cause your reviews tell me what i need to know, what you liked, disliked, etc.. so i wanna thank everyone so far for reading and staying with me.. just hope ya stick around! Thank You!**


	5. Chapter 5: A Bump in the Night

**A/N The majority of this chapter is in Anna's point of view. Hope this doesn't change things up to much for you guys.. It wont be a regular thing.. Well i mean unless you guys like being put in the characters view every now n then.. Eh well i better shut up before i babble even more.. Enjoy!**

 _ **Chapter V: A Bump in the Night**_

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 _A single cloud drifted across the light blue sky above us, peaceful and ignorant to the death and destruction that was just below it. I really wish i was a cloud. I wouldn't have any worries, just the breeze to carry me on; no hardships or heartbreak, no killing and death... just bliss. But then again, if i were a cloud, i guess i wouldn't have my Elsa, now would I. I stared over at her laying beside me, the grass swaying slightly in the breeze between us. She was smiling with her perfect white teeth and her icy-blue eyes never left mine, her long platinum blonde hair swaying ever so slightly in the breeze over her dark blue shirt. I scooted closer to her until my head was on her shoulder and we were touching our noses, grinning like kids in a candy shop._

 _The meadow is quiet enough that i can hear her soothing heartbeat when i listen close enough._ _She reached up to my cheek and her cool skin sent shivers down my back when it made contact. Her skin always does that to me and i love it! So, i push my face further into her touch. She's always been so loving with me, i mean she's been like the sister i never had. The really hot sister i never had. I mean if she were my sister, id probably still love her like i do now, but thats not the point here. The point is that she's never left me. She's always kept her promises and always had full trust in me to have her back, which i do.. even though i prefer the front. Ha! I made a pun. Or is it just a joke? I don't know, but back to my story._

 _My eyes are closed when i hear a loud noise in the distance. I open them to see a petrified Elsa looking at me with widened eyes and her mouth slightly opened. She dropped her hand, scooting closer to me as we sit up, both of us scanning the tree lines. Another noise, but this one was closer to us. Its some kind of screeching sound I've never heard before. Given the look on Elsa's face, she never has either. Suddenly, her face hardens and she gets to her feet. I follow her up and she grabs a pistol seemingly out of nowhere, but i don't really notice because i'm to focused on the trees swaying back and forth in the wind. The anticipation of something happening is killing me when i see some movement to our left. "They're on our right," i hear Elsa say behind me. We are back to back now facing our threats head on. "There's one on our left too." I say pulling up a handgun where i have no clue came from but i'm too focused on the threat in front of me to question it. "They're boxing us in, Anna." Im to focused on a disturbingly deformed human face i could barely make out in front of me. Its black eyes staring at me with a piercing gaze; a widened snarl on its mouth. It looked like the mouth stretched out farther and it had no hair. It had clothes, though, and from what I could see it used to be human. It looked like one of the infected, but different. Im not sure how different, though. Its face, bloody and teeth barred. Another screeching noise to my right where we originally heard it unglued me from my single target. "You're right, i see them. What do we do, Elsa?!"_

 _"Just give me a second!" she said over another screech which seemed to be the attack order. What we thought was three became ten, and what we thought they were wasn't even close. The dead sprinted out of the wood line directly at us from three different directions; all whaling in high pitched yells._

 _I thought i heard Elsa shooting over the screaming so i started shooting, too, taking down the first two easily with head shots, the next was was smarter and bobbed back and forth avoiding my shots at the last seconds. "Come on you bastard,"_ shot, " _stand,"_ shot _,"still!" I finally hit it above the right eye, sending it to the ground. I turned right, shooting one that was a mere ten feet away, using my last bullet. "Im out!"_

 _"Me too!" I heard Elsa say. The remaining three circled us, watching us with hungry eyes a measly ten or fifteen feet away. All at once, they bolted towards us snarling. Elsa interlocked her arms with mine and i felt her as we both kicked at the same time, knocking two of our attacker away momentarily as she unlocked our arms and jutted her fist up into the jaw of our third. She had her spiked knuckles on, which i hadn't noticed before, but_ damn _did those things do some damage. The thing fell back blood dripping from under its jaw and started circling us again with its partners._

 _"Back pocket," Elsa said not taking her eyes off of the threat. I felt up her leg, and up her butt to her back pocket and grabbed the handle that protruded from it. A knife with a short, fat blade came out. If i knew Elsa, she was brandishing her own blade right now, making it look more badass than i could ever pull off. They screamed at us again, charging and folding their arms back behind them. I felt Elsa thrusting keeping her attacker off her as i did the same, going for the throat and parrying its arms as it threw itself at me. Both of it's hands grabbed my shoulders, trying to pull me into its chest, but my knee soon got in the way of that, knocking the thing back with a thrust to the gut. My leg came up and my foot met its face head on. Ha! Another pun-joke-thingy._

 _It fell to the ground, stumbling back up feet away. I realized mine and Elsa's arms had unclasped, and i turned to see her fighting off the other two. they were both on top of her, her arms only keeping them at bay for the moment. "_ Anna! Help me!" _She screamed at me. I never heard her voice riddled with such despair. I tried taking a step towards her, but the thing i had just knocked down grabbed onto both my legs holding me back as it smiled a disgusting, evil yellow smile; it's eyes irises black as the night sky._

 _I stabbed at its head, looking for purchase but only succeeding in jabbing the knife deep into its shoulder. It pulled on my legs as I went forward, trying to break free and the next second I felt grass on my face. It started crawling up the length of my body fast and when it got to my neck, I rolled us over, grasping the handle jutting out of its shoulder. I pulled hard on it, finally pulling it free and bringing it down, pushing it through the soft tissue of its nose and into its brain. The things body went limp. I turned to where Elsa was and she was under one of them, hands holding it back by the neck, while the other was in a leg-choke hold position. I ran to her, stabbing the one between her legs in the back of its skull and pulled it off her, as she snapped the others neck. I helped her up and as soon as she was on her feet, I was on the ground. She had tackled me and wrapped her arms around before I knew it. I reciprocated the hug, wrapping my arms tightly around her._

 _"I thought I lost you!" She said._

 _"Me!?" I said as she brought her head up to look at me. "You were the one who took on two of those motherfuckers by yourself! God, Elsa, I hate leaving you alone. I mean, throughout that whole thing i thought i lost you. Have you ever seen those.. things before?"_

 _"No, i haven't, but thank God your alright." She said_

 _I felt the sting of tears brimming my eyes and i tried to hold them back, but it was no use. I let them flow, showing how scared i was of losing what was most precious to me. Elsa rolled us over, holding me close. When she got on her back i buried my face into the crook of her neck, crying like a baby. She rubbed circles on my back comforting me as i let out my feelings of near-loss onto her silky smooth skin. "Hush now. Everything's okay, Anna. See?" She put her hands on the sides of my face lifting it to see that, indeed, she was as perfect as the day I fell hopelessly in love with her. I leaned forward and pecked her lips just to be sure and resumed burying my face into her shoulder._

 _Everything went deadly quiet, allowing me to hear Elsa's heart beat. Its soft and rhythmic beat soothing my nerves. After a minute, her heart rate picked up and fast. As second before I had planned to look up at Elsa and see what was wrong, she rolled us over, letting out a cry of pain. I didn't see what was wrong until I looked over her shoulder another one of those infected, mutated things was biting into the back of Elsa's neck. Further back, The pack we had just taken down had gotten back up and stood in a line a few yards away._

 _I grabbed a Elsa's blade that she had dropped right by us when we collapsed together.. Well I mean she tackled me, but that aside, I slammed the blade sideways into its head which seemed to do the trick, because its eyes rolled back slightly and its arms and legs went limp. I knew Elsa only had hours left.. But I had to try and keep us alive to at least spend those last moments with her. I rolled us over again and sprung up to defend us with everything I had left. All at once they charged again, lunging from every direction. I slashed and stabbed as much as I could, trying to get a lucky hit to their heads, but I knew there were too many. There was no way I could take on ten of these super-infected by myself. A flash of blonde hair and Elsa had brought one down stabbing at its head and neck wildly, getting up to stand beside me yet again._

 _We were surrounded. The two we killed were just to test us. This was the final attack._

 _The leader of the pack screamed into the air, prompting the rest to join him in a head on charge. Three came at me one going for my right arm, another found after my legs and the last, going for my neck. I looked over at Elsa and she was running, so I decided to join her in an exodus of the field. They gained on us fast, but our tight cornering saved us from multiple lunge attacks. The jeep came into view, finally and as soon as we got to it, Elsa reached on the top and grabbed her M4, instantly bringing it to the ready, firing like a mad woman at the things head only a couple hundred yards away. She was missing them, left and right, firing wide. Her vision was already starting to get blurry. I went to my side, grabbing my SCAR-H off my side and took aim. I fired shot after shot, all going wide and hitting them in the shoulders or chests, or even missing them completely._

 _They were only about a hundred yards when I heard Elsa scream,"Run!" So I started running, slowing down expecting to see Elsa next to me, but when I spun around, she was at the jeep hunched over on her knees. I ran back to her just before the infected had reach the ten yard mark, she couldn't see, and could barely breath. I shoved her into the passenger seat of the jeep, shutting the door, ran over to my side, and got in and locked the doors. I fumbled with the keys, sliding them into the ignition and turning. The engine roared to life, only spluttering out a second later. I tried and retried the keys, even as I heard them starting to beat on the windows._

 _Elsa looked at me with her now bloodshot eyes and panting heavily, "Anna, I love you."_

 _"You are_ not _going anywhere so don't you even START talking like that... But I love you too, Elsa." She looked at me, even with the window banging ugly monsters that used to man, she looked at me._

 _"You'll always be_ my _Anna." She lifted a weak hand up to rest on my cheek._

 _"Always and Forever, Els'. Im never going anywhere." I said, turning to turn the keys quickly back and forth. This time i was successful in damning the tears and kept my composure for her. Her door was ripped off and three or four pairs of hands drug her out of the jeep slamming her on the ground._

 _"NO! ELSA!," I screamed in vain. My door came off and more hands grabbed my wrists and ankles, dragging me out to where I was in front of Elsa . They threw me down, face planting on the ground. The taste of copper in my mouth and a throbbing pain in my forehead weren't helping the situation when two of the infected grabbed me and sat me up on my knees holding me in a position where I could see Elsa lying in front of me. Her head was bleeding and she was sitting in the same position I was, staring daggers at the infected behind me. I thought they would've ate us by now or at least bitten us. The alpha came forward, stepping in between us. He looked over at Elsa who had her head back thanks to one of the bastards holding her down by her hair. The alpha reached forward and ran his dirty fingers through Elsa's platinum blond bangs that hang to the sides of her face. He then went behind her and looked at me in the eyes, giving me an devilish grin. He reached around Elsa's head and grabbed her chin, whipping it back around with a faint *crack* of bone on bone from inside Elsa's neck._

 _He just looked at me and I looked down at Elsa. "No. No! NO! ELSA!" the Alpha clicked his tongue a few times and the ones that had been holding her started to rip her stomach open and they started eating her flesh,blood spewing everywhere around them. I wasn't watching. I was looking down, two rivers of tears running down my face. "Elsa, no..." I said sobbing uncontrollably._

 _The grip on my wrist and back tightened as the Alpha approached me. Another hand yanked my hair back, forcing me to face him. "Sister is dead. Now you die with her." He seamed to whisper quietly, much in contrast to what I thought. He stood up after kneeling before me smiling and staring into my eyes. He brought his dirty hand up and gripped my hair, pulling me further toward Elsa and slammed me down again next to her. I looked at her, tears blurring my vision at the sight of her now lifeless, beautiful eyes. I couldn't help but sob. "Elsa," I sobbed "I-i l-l-love you." He reached around my head grabbing onto my chin. With all the strength I had left, I screamed. "I LOVE YOU!"_

* * *

I screamed as I quickly sat up, my eyes shot open in the process. My entire body was sweaty, but cold at the same time. A stand of hair hanging near my mouth stuck there by drool. I pulled it away and looked around the dimly lit room. A small cluster of three candles by the head of the mattress being the only light in the room besides the early midnight moon shining in through the windows. I remembered last night and looked beside me, checking to make sure Elsa was okay. "Perfect as an angel." I whispered to myself. The light of the candles gave Elsa's skin a glowing look and contrasted with the other side of her that was illuminated by the blue-ish white lighting of the moon. A pang of sadness hit me in the gut when I remembered the scene I had seen so many times unravel back into my mind again. She was still sleeping, so I laid down, my head going on her shoulder.

One of her arms came around my waist seconds afterwards. She mumbled silently in her sleep and I cuddled close to her after hearing a possessive, "My Anna." From the older girl. She was still asleep, and I wasn't going to leave her upon any circumstances. She looked so beautiful and peaceful. "Well, I'm not sleeping for a while..." I whispered into Elsa's shoulder. I breathed in and her lavender scent caught me off guard. I breathed in heavily, lavender dominating my senses now. I closed my eyes, focusing solely on it. Elsa was taking care of me even when she was unconscious. My body seemed to relax from the tense state i didn't know it was in. I nuzzled into Elsa's neck. "I'm never leaving you... I promise." I whispered as a i felt a single tear roll down my cheek and onto Elsa's smooth skin. I looked at her face for a short while, relishing in her presence. My eye lids started getting heavy. "Goodnight, my love." I whispered to her sleeping form. I drifted off into a dreamless, yet peaceful sleep soon after.

 **A/N Phew! That was a hard chapter to write.. How'd you guys like it? More 1st person chapters along the road, or no? Hope it was enough for you guys n gals to enjoy it.. As always, favorite if you liked it, follow if you wanna know when I update. Review and tell me what you thought, things you liked disliked, ideas, etc. Thanks!**


	6. Chapter 6: Another Day, Another Run

**A/N Back to normal POV. Enjoy!**

 _ **Chapter VI: Another Day, Another Scavenging Run**_

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Sunlight shone threw the windows on the far side of the room. It steadily drifted upwards as the morning dragged on, reaching Elsa's eyes. Anna's eyes were covered by Elsa's hair, making her smile at how cute the scene was. She could feel Anna's leg between hers and their arms entangled in eachother when she shifted to get up. "Ugh. Anna.."She said to herself. She laid back down, not wanting to take the comfort away from Anna. She turned on her side, facing her and saw the redheads eyes were just barely open. Elsa ran the tips of her fingers down the side of Anna's face, getting a small smile from her in return. "Morning," she said just above a whisper. "Good morning, beautiful." Elsa replied as she pushed some hair in Anna's face behind her ear. Anna repositioned herself until she was directly on top of Elsa, their bodies perfectly aligned, just the way she liked. She kissed up Elsa's smooth neck and moved up her cheek and onto her lips, holding just a little longer than the others and then laid her head back down on Elsa's shoulder again. "We've gotta get up, hun. There's things we gotta do; people we've gotta help."

"Mmmph.. they can wait a little longer. I wanna spend some time with my girlfriend." Anna said pouting with the last words.

Elsa giggled,"Well, when you look like that, how could i say no."

"What can i say?" Anna smiled,"I'm irresistible."

Elsa laughed, this time sitting up with Anna straddling her and brought her hands around Anna's neck bringing her in for another kiss."I wont argue with that fact." Elsa said smiling wide.

"So, what are these things you were saying we had to do today?" Anna asked.

"Well, there's this airport thats just South of here that the military was using before the infection spread as a forward operating base and i'm sure they left some pretty good stuff when they were pulling out in the rush to the East coast and why are you looking at me like that?"

Anna had narrowed her eyes at Elsa with a smirk."My kisses were supposed to make you forget about what it was.. guess i failed that task."

"Hey, your kisses do alot to me.. You practically fry my brain whenever yo-" Anna surprised her by crashing her lips into Elsa's, sending them both back down onto the mattress. Anna broke away after a few seconds "What were you saying?" Anna asked, looking innocent.

"Huh? Uhm.. i don't remember." Elsa smirked. Anna got up, helping Elsa up with her and looked for her boots that had been taken off the night before. She heard a whistle and turned to see Elsa holding her shoes with a mischievous grin on her face. Anna walked towards her reaching for them, only for Elsa to put them behind her back. "Ah-ah-ah, gotta say the magic words first. Anna grinned back at her, leaning slowly forward. Elsa could feel Anna's breath on her lips as hands went behind her back unnoticed. when Anna pulled away, Elsa whimpered at the teasing trick Anna had pulled. She let it go, sitting down to put her own boots on. A comfortable silence came upon them as they got ready to head home.

"Hey Anna?" Elsa asked.

"Yeah?"

"Did you... have the dream again last night?" She asked tentatively.

After Anna had her last strap in place, she walked over to sit next to Elsa. "Yeah, but don't worry. After I woke up, I saw you so i'm okay now. You hugged me close even though you were asleep, and thats really all i needed to feel better." She smiled at Elsa.

"Seriously, Anna, start waking me up. I don't want you going through that alone.. I want to be there for you."

"But you _are_ here for me, Elsa. You always have been and i will be here for you, just like i promised last night."

Elsa looked at her for a second. "I don't remember that."

"I woke up and saw you were okay and then i promised not to leave you.. ever." Elsa could see the corners of her mouth start to tremble and she came over to sit by Anna, enveloping her in a soft, loving embrace. Anna wrapped an arm around Elsa's stomach, pushing her head into Elsa's shoulder, letting out the tears she was trying so hard to dam. "Shh it's okay, Anna. Im here; you don't have to worry about losing me. Im not gonna go anywhere."

They sat there a few minutes, Anna letting out her tears and Elsa soothing the younger women.

Anna lifted her head. "Sorry about your shirt," she said looking at the wet spot on Elsa's shoulder.

"Don't worry about it, love." She smiled, alleviating the worry on Anna's face. "Now, come on. You ready for an trip?" she asked as she stood up.

"Well, not yet silly. We still have our date-night clothes on."

"Oh. Right." Elsa said looking down at their apparel, lingering on Anna's longer than she had intended. "So..." Anna said, breaking Elsa from her state with a slight blush creeping onto her cheeks. Anna chuckled as Elsa walked to her, wrapping an arm around her waist and headed for the door.

Both girls got in the jeep and Elsa started it. They headed back in the direction of the Memphis Pyramid, holding hands all the way home. The trip was relatively uneventful, save for the few wandering packs of infected that seemed to patrol an intersection that they had to go through. Elsa had stopped the jeep and turned it off, waiting for them to pass and get a safe distance away before starting it again.

Elsa pulled into the garage, turned off the ignition and left the keys. The door garage door shut behind them and Anna entered through the door that connected the house to it, heading straight for their room. They kept it pretty clean, save for the occasional piece of laundry scattered here and there and maybe a coke can or two laying on the living room table. Elsa stayed back in the garage, taking the tarp off of her "Raptor" looking it over for anything she may need to look for while they were out. Making a list, she noticed all she needed was a tire, a spare if she could also find another one, any weapons, body armor, armor plating for the vehicle, a spare wheel for the jeep, general supplies they could use, any military equipment they could drag back, and anything else really that wasn't junk. Rahja had asked her to look for some Morphine while she was out to restock his med-kit that he had to use. He offered to pay her, but Elsa being, well, Elsa, she rejected his offer, saying she didn't want payment for it.

They were headed for a make-shift airfield about fifty miles outside of the city. The military had set it up as a Forward Operating Base and then abandoned it just weeks after it had become fully operational due to the infected flooding through Saint Louis and into the Eastern half of the United States. Elsa had driven by it once and it looked like nothing had been moved, save for a few bodies on the half complete runway and dirt helipads. Then again, that was a few months ago. Things could have changed since then. Elsa went though the door Anna had gone through and to their bedroom to change into something more fitting for a scavenging run. Coming through the door, she saw Anna's red and black clad butt in the air while she was searching for something in their closet and stood still, eyes wide and mouth slightly opened. "Enjoyin' the view?" she asked as she stood up, pushing it out a little further. Bullet, who was laying in his bed in the corner next to the doorway, laid his head down between his front legs and sighed at the exchange.

Elsa's face got red and she nodded 'yes' to the question. Anna's giggling brought her out of her stupor and back to the present. She walked over to their dresser, taking her clothes off on the way there leaving her dark blue and black underwear. She felt eyes on her the entire time and she smiled when she bent over to pull the bottom drawer out looking for a shirt to wear. "So I guess i should be asking you the same question now, huh?" she said mimicking Anna's actions from earlier. She turned to face Anna whose face mirrored the look that was on Elsa's just seconds earlier. Bullet put a leg over his eyes and whined slightly. Elsa giggled at Bullet's actions and Anna's intensified expression after she had pushed her butt out a little further for the red heads enjoyment. Anna broke her gaze away from Elsa's body and took off her underwear to change into a green pair while Elsa changed into purple underwear and both girls looked at each other afterwards smiling. "You're so beautiful." they said in unison and then laughed at the coincidence.

Anna returned to the closet, and Elsa back tot the dresser, taking out black cargo pants and a plain grey t-shirt. Anna walked over to the dresser and got out the same thing except she had a green v-neck she liked wearing. Elsa put on her black hiking boots on and Anna did the same, strapping them tight while tucking the ends of their pant legs into them. Elsa braided her long hair into a single thick braid over her shoulder while Anna took hers out of the pigtails and brushed it out, trying but failing at getting the slight wave her hair now had, so she put them back into pigtails, resting them on her chest Elsa went to the garage and retrieved their new vests that they had scavenged and strapped them on over themselves, Anna having to clip a few pouches on and Elsa helped in putting grenades and advising in the placement of the different rifle and pistol magazines she carried. She followed what Elsa's looked like as an example putting most of the rifle mags up front and the pistol mags going to the sides. Grenades went on the top shoulders and in a couple pouches along the bottom. She put it on, Elsa tightening the straps where it was needed and it fit snugly with her form. Elsa put her's on and grabbed her leather bomber jacket out of the closet, grabbing a red scarf for Anna, and a light blue shemagh for herself. Anna put on a olive green parka and took the scarf wrapping it around her neck and proceeded to help Elsa with her shemagh, wrapping it like she had many times before and using it to pull Elsa in for a short, but tender kiss. "Should we eat some breakfast first? Its only about," she pulled her watch up from between them,"10:30."

"I don't mi-" Anna's stomach growled loudly at the thought.

"Its settled then. Eat first, then we go." Elsa said, Anna nodding in agreement. they went into their dining room/kitchen and Elsa reached on top of the fridge bringing down two boxes. "Cocoa Pebbles or Cinnamon Toast Crunch?" she asked raising the boxes a little higher as she said the names. "Hmm.. Well lets see," she said slowly walking over to Elsa. "Do i want sweet and tangy.." She stopped just in front of Elsa,"or do i want chocolate?"

"Chocolate?" Elsa said timidly waiting for Anna to do something. _She makes combat gear look so sexy.. how the hell did she manage to do that!?_ Elsa thought to herself

"You, my lovely girlfriend, are correct, and here's your prize." Anna said leaning forward and pressing a kiss to Elsa's lips while swiping the cereal box out of Elsa's hand.

Elsa broke the kiss. "Little sneak." she narrowed her eyes and smirked at the redhead.

Anna poured some of the cereal into two bowls and Elsa got the milk, also pouring it into the two bowls. They stood in the kitchen, both leaning against the counter enjoying the cereal when a knock came at the front door. Bullet barked at the sudden noise. "Shh, Bullet." Elsa said making a stop motion with her hand. Both girls sat their finished bowls in the sink and walked to the door, Anna trying to trip Elsa and beat the older girl to it, but Elsa saw it just in time and left Anna having a light embarrassed blush gracing her cheeks. Elsa opened the door to the young guard they had encountered yesterday before heading out. He had an Army parka on over a black shirt and brown pants; His black wool cap being twisted nervously in his hand.

"Joseph, right?" Elsa asked.

"Yes ma'am. uh, Im not interrupting am I? You two look like you're pretty busy." He said, his grey-blue eyes going back and forth between the two women.

"Oh no, we were just about to head out and pick up some things. Was there something you needed?" she asked

"I just wanted to apologize," he bowed his head, "for my behavior last night. As a militiaman of Memphis, my focus should be on the well being of the colony. If there's anything you need, just ask me and i'll be happy to help."

"I take it Isaac has been talking to you about us since last night?" Anna asked.

"Yes ma'am. He told me all you both have done here and for everyone, and i just felt like i had to apologize. How'd you know?" he asked, looking genuinely perplexed.

"He does that to all the new recruits," Elsa said, "though, you're the first one to apologize to us.. much less come forward to us again." She smiled at the man, which he returned with a semblance of pride."What's your full name, Joseph? I haven't seen you around much."

"Bjorgman, Kristoff Joseph Bjorgman." He reached forward and Elsa shook his hand and then turned to Anna who did the same. "Everyone calls me Joseph, though. I got tired of getting my first name confused with Christopher. I just settled in here maybe three weeks ago?" he chuckled.

Both girls giggled."Well i think Kristoff suits you better." Anna said. "Would you mind if we called you that?"

"Its fine by me." he smiled.

"It's nice to meet you, Kristoff." Elsa chuckled at the man's cheeks turning a light shade of pink. "We were just about to head out to an airport a little ways East of here. Is there anything you need us to look for? I've gotta list here of things we need; i can add anything you would like." she said

"Oh, no ma'am. I couldn't ask that much of you."

"Awe, come on. We've got nothing else to do! Besides, we'd be happy to. You're a militiaman.. they don't get out to much unless the commander orders it, and he hasn't really been doing a whole lot lately." Bullet pushed his nose between the two woman, seeming interested in the man at the front door; his ears perked up and mouth shut and his eyes looking the him up and down

"Well, I have been looking for a new pistol for a while now. they went out of stock down at Rahja's last week and then the new shop they've got set up in the market hasn't gotten off its feet just yet so i don't really have anywhere to get one."

"Okay. We'll look into into it." Elsa smiled. "Any preference?"

"What?" he asked.

"Ya know, Beretta, Sig Sauer, Colt.. What kind do you prefer?"

He seemed caught off guard by the question. "Uhm," he reached back and rubbed the back of his neck,"Anything you can find honestly." he chuckled.

"Okay," Elsa took a small note pad out of her inner jacket pocket and scribbled down kristoff's name and a line under it, writing _Sidearm: No preference._

"Thank you. Both of you!" he said pulling them both into a hug. They both reciprocated, though it took Elsa a second longer, due to not being used to such closeness other than Anna.

"You're welcome!" Anna said, looking over at Elsa.

"Do you need a hand out there?" he asked pulling away from the girls.

"No, we can handle ourselves. If things get too hairy, we'll call back here and let you know." Elsa said smiling at him.

"I should get back to my post before the Captain gets back from his route. Thank you both, again so much!"

Elsa giggled and Anna grabbed her hand,"Bye, Kristoff!" the two said as he trotted off down the walkway.

"Well, that was.. different." Elsa said closing the door and bent down to pet Bullet behind the ears just the way he liked, while Anna went to the door leading to the garage. "Yeah, he seemed alright though. A little feely but, alright nonetheless. Shall we?" she motioned to the door, smiling.

"We shall," Elsa said, smiling back at the redhead. She clicked her tongue,"Come on, Bullet, let's go." she said moving toward the door.

They went into the garage and checked their weapons. Elsa's M4 was full and so was Anna's SCAR-H. Instead of putting them back on top of the rack, Anna suggested that they put them inside, between the middle console and their seats. Elsa grabbed her Colt 1911 off the dash and and slid the mag out. Seven in the mag and one in the chamber. She slif the mag back in, locking it and put it in her hip holster and made sure the combat knife she had was sheathed in a holder that was upside down so she could reach it in a tough situation. She also checked a smaller M&P Shield that was in her chest holster, just above her Rifle magazines. Anna got her M9 out of the glove box and put it in her own holster, sliding a short tactical knife into her boot sheath. She clicked her tongue twice and a second later, Bullet hopped in through Elsa's rear opened door. They made sure everything was in place; the back was empty, their weapons loaded, knives sheathed, and Bullet comfy, so they shut the doors and Elsa started the ignition. Anna pressed the button on her visor, opening the garage door. Elsa drove out of the loading dock and onto the cluttered highway, weaving in and out of stalled, wrecked, and burned out vehicles at a steady thirty miles per hour. They went NorthEast on Interstate 40 past a wildlife reserve and stopped at an off-ramp where a large chunk of it was blown away. A car teetered on the edge, not moving, but it wouldn't take much to get it to go over the edge. Elsa pulled the jeep up to just behind it and both women got out, Elsa pulling out her 1911 just to be safe. They've had their fair share of surprises on over-crowded roads like this.

As they reached the rear bumper, they stopped and waited for any sounds to come. Birds chirped, the leaves on nearby trees ruffled in the wind, distant thunder rumbled, but no human sounds came other than the breathing from the two women. "You ready?" Elsa asked.

"As Ill ever be." Anna winked at her.

She holstered her pistol and both of them gripped under the partially rusted bumper, lifting up. They grunted as its rear wheels finally slid off the edge, making a crashing sound as it tumbled down a small slope from the foundation of the highway. They stood momentarily, assessing the area for any changes in motion. When none were spotted, they moved back to the jeep, got in, and went around the hole. The feeling returned to Elsa like it had a couple days ago at the plane. A tingling feeling down her spine. She felt- no, knew that they were being watched. The jeep skidded to a stop.

"What's wrong?" Anna asked, worried.

"I dont know.. stay here, okay?" Elsa said getting out and grabbing the binoculars where she had left them. She scanned the tree line in the distance that seemed to flank both sides of the small back road they were on. The trees were a couple hundred yards away, giving them some time to make a run for it. Elsa thought she saw something, not being sure if it was the trees swaying just right or if it was human.. or infected. The world still had things, abominations, that Elsa and Anna had yet to see. She was scanning when a face crossed her vision. it was small and she could barely make it out from the distance, but its eyes were black. Darker than shadows, darker than the night sky. Its mouth was twisted into a smile that stretched inhumanly large across its face. her mouth went dry and she got a chill again and ran back to the jeep slamming the door and cranking it into drive, hammering the gas peddle. They sped up to about seventy miles an hour before Elsa realized it and let off the gas slightly, letting the meter drift back down to forty five.

"Elsa?" Anna looked at her and knew something was wrong.

"I dont know what it was, Anna, but i know something was watching us. I saw it." she said trembling.

"Hey," Elsa looked at her, "Its gonna be okay. Im sure we lost it after the five or so minutes you were going, like, a hundred. Theres no way anything out here could run that fast."

"Yeah, i guess you're right." Elsa allowed herself to relax.

"I mean cheetahs couldn't even run that fast from you've told me about them. I wish i could've been born a little earlier so i could go to the zoo or something to see them. Oh! and i really want to see the lions, too. They sound like they're a pretty interesting animal. Tigers, too! Well, i guess any big cat really. Wait, have you ever told me about wild house cats or anything like that? Are there wild house cats? Are there even cats in general? Oh, can we look for-" Anna rambled on about cats, the notion that cats had a hierarchy, cats that were native to the US before the infection hit and so on and Elsa was happy to hear it, laughing as Anna went on. She loved that Anna could make a stressful time into a comfortable one just by being herself.

"I mean, what if they used cats to-"

"I love you, Anna." Elsa interrupted her, beaming at the younger woman.

Anna caught her breath for a second. "I love you too, Elsa." she said, smiling back.

They pulled up to a chain link gate topped with concertina wire and chained shut. The lock didn't look very sturdy so Elsa pulled back a little and pressed the gas to the floor. The wheels turned in the gravel and then gained traction sending both occupants back in their seats. The gate slammed open and Elsa pulled to the right and stopped, looking down the length of an unfinished runway, half paved and half flat dirt, flanked on both sides by planes, helicopters, and closer to them, a convoy of several trucks and military vehicles on a dirt road. Anna saw it first, and then Elsa just mili-seconds later. A flash of a shadow in the distance; several shadows now that they looked a little closer, ran across the dirt half from behind a plane to a hanger. Elsa turned the key off and got out; Anna followed in unison, both grabbing their weapons as they exited the vehicle. Elsa locked the doors and gave Bullet a treat that would keep him gnawing at it for at least a couple hours. The two women met in front of the jeep, Anna pulling a black watch cap on and handing Elsa a navy blue one to put on. The thundering they had heard on the off ramp was closer now and the wind blew harder, whistling in between and around the two as they walked towards the abandoned convoy.

Elsa looked up at the dark storm clouds, feeling a rain drop hit her nose. She looked at Anna who was mirroring her. It started raining heavily, obscuring their vision of what lay ahead. They reached the first vehicle, a humvee that was likely the forward guard, when they noticed that this convoy wasn't abandoned.

It was ambushed.

* * *

 **A/N So what'd you guys think? Do you guys like this length of chapter (around 2000 words) or would you like something longer(5000 and up). Also, i know i got pretty descriptive with the gear and stuff, and i was wanting to ask if that was a little to much? i didn't know if i should or not, considering this isn't your average Elsanna fic. But i decided to to see how you guys would react, so let me know what you guys would like to see more or less of with a review. They help me tremendously. Thanks!**


	7. Chapter 7: Rain Storms and Raiders

**A/N sorry about the first update of this chapter. It had a ton of errors and was really rushed out before i edited it. its updated now and should make more sense without all the continuity, grammar, and basically all the other errors. Thanks for reading! Enjoy!**

 _ **Chapter VII: Rain Storms and Raiders**_

* * *

Elsa came to the lead humvee's left side, while Anna went on the right, both girls weapons trained on the glass windows as they approached. Any movement and they wouldn't hesitate to put two rounds through it. The interior side of the windshield was splattered with blood on Elsa's side, so she steadily crept a little further away to get a view before approaching the door, making sure whatever was inside was indeed not alive (or undead). Anna lowered her weapon enough to wrench the slightly worn door open and moved to sweep the inside when she heard Elsa gasp. She then heard shuffling coming from the front and saw Elsa crouch-walking over to her, signaling with her hand to get low.

"What? What's wrong?" Anna asked, worry evident in her voice.

"Look over to the hangers."

Anna peered over the blood stained hood and over to the hangers. Things got quiet for a second. The wind blew just slightly, the thunder from earlier became closer, and she could hear Elsa's breathing. Or was it her's? She wasn't sure, but what she was sure was of the sentient figures who were crowded at the hangers on the far side of the runway. Seven or eight, maybe nine silhouettes were in what looked like a conversation. Anna raised her SCAR to her shoulder and looked through the scope. Eight men in scavenged and mismatched pieces of body armor surrounded an elderly man that wore a worn dark brown trench coat with a girl who was hid behind him. The men around him mostly all brandished firearms except one, who was in the center with the man and girl, pacing back and forth with a machete tossing it between his hands and eyeing the two victims.

"Eight contacts, two civilians. There's an old man in rags in the middle of them. It looks like they're going to kill him, Elsa." She knew Elsa was hesitating. "He's got a girl, maybe thirteen, behind him." Anna said, still scoped in.

Another moment of silence and then, "Get in and make sure that fifty is up by the time i get it running."

Anna smiled. "That's my Elsa." She brought the SCAR down and slung it over her shoulder as she went back to the open door and grabbed the dead soldiers arms, dragging him out and setting him down gently, taking his ammo as she went and laying his rifle beside him. Anna had always had great respect for soldiers. The stories she had heard about them facing off against the undead hoards was legendary to her. She crawled into the center, over a console and into a sitting position on a hanging strap that served as the gunners seat. She checked the can that was connected to the large caliber weapon and, seeing that it was full, yet unloaded, brought the receiver up, placing the lead bullet in and dropping it back down. She slapped it for good measure and pulled back the handle, making a distinctive and deep _Chu-Ching._ She ducked back into the humvee's interior and watched as sparks flew from wires Elsa was fiddling with.

"Are you su-" her reluctance was cut short by the vehicle roaring to life.

Elsa looked up at her and smiled, "Oh, i'm sure alright." She said climbing in and shutting the door. The dried blood was still in the way and luckily, this particular humvee was the National Guard variant featuring normal glass and not the bulletproof type that its counterparts had. Elsa kicked it out, making the least amount of noise as possible while Anna watched in the direction of the men who were still surrounding the two innocents. The entire vehicle shook and its engine whined as Elsa took it over the side hump of the road and onto the soft grass. She brought the gun forward, facing the targets as they got closer and closer and picked up speed.

She could see a glint over the group's heads and couldn't make out what it was, but she didn't think anything of it as one of the men on the outside turned towards them, immediately alerting the rest to the armored vehicle heading their way. They scattered allowing Anna to open up with full force without worrying about hitting the two on the inside. The fifty rattled in her hands as she pressed down on the thumb-trigger, sending its full metal jackets ripping through three hostiles who were making a run for cover behind a black truck. She gritted her teeth as she turned back to her right, opening up on one of them she saw diving into a shed. The bullets tore holes into the sheet metal and wood, vaporizing anything on the other side of it.

Elsa had passed them fully now and the remaining four had retreated to positions to confront the attack. She had turned the humvee to a side when a wheel exploded, allowing her to get out and take cover behind its front end. She brought her M4 up, training it on the nearest target. A man with a riot helmet and an Army vest peeked out from behind a forklift giving her the chance she needed to squeeze off a round. The bullet went straight through the glass face-shield and just below his right eye, making his head jerk back violently. She could hear Anna still booming away at anything that moved. Elsa looked to see where the old man in the center and the girl had gone but only the lifeless form of the man remained. The girl was nowhere to be seen.

She ducked her head back behind the front wheel as a torrent of bullets came into contact with the bumper, headlights, and hood. Anna had gone quiet on the gun up top and it worried her until she heard shots coming from over the armor plate that surrounded the gun. Anna was shooting her SCAR, likely having ran out of ammo with the mounted weapon. Elsa peaked out again, spotting the two remaining bandits running to the nearest hangar, the leader with the girl in tow. A shot from Anna's position and the man behind the two dropped to the ground and started crawling. The next second, a spray of red came out if the front of his head, rendering him incapacitated from one of Anna's 7.62 rounds. The redhead scrambled down the turret and out the passenger door meeting Elsa at the front of the vehicle. Both trained their weapons on the entrance to the hangar, a small door that was dwarfed by the large aircraft doors it was cut into.

A groan from one of the bodies, and Anna had pulled her M9 from her hip-holster and sent a nine millimeter through his skull and replaced the weapon back to her side. Both women stacked up on the door, Elsa on the left side and aiming into the right and Anna the opposite. "On three," Elsa said holding up her fingerless-gloved hand, the other still aiming her weapon. "One." A finger went up."Two," another followed. "Thr-," Anna didn't hear the rest as she went through the doorway covering her side of the room and Elsa following in milliseconds after, doing the same to her side. - _Bang- -Bang- -Bang-_ The shots, followed by flashes to Anna's rear where Elsa was, made her jump in surprise. The silence crept in and nothing moved and the flash and crack of thunder outside made the girls jump.

Anna faced to where Elsa had shot, who was also still aiming at a darker corner behind supply crates she had and a trailer that had a helicopter strapped to the top with a tarp over it, half hanging off. Anna scurried over to the trailer, Elsa following her every move behind her. They moved slowly toward the edge of the crates and there, the girl from earlier was pushed out, a gun barrel pushed to her temple. The girl who Anna thought was about thirteen looked much more mature at this distance. Her long dark brown hair looked pitch black in the darkness and ran down over breasts that were covered only by a white tank top and halfway down her stomach. The dark blue pants she was wearing had holes at the knees, revealing scrape marks from being dragged around on the pavement. Her eyes begged for help from the two, only damming the tears with the adrenaline pumping through her body.

"Back off or the girl gets it." a deep but raspy voice said from behind the crates. "I'll blow her fucking head off if you don't clear out of here."

"What makes you think we care?" Elsa stalled, watching Anna take careful aim.

"You're human, same as everyone else. It tears you up to see your kind get killed.. just like anything else in this fucked up world. Anything that isn't infected."

"Well, look we can talk about this all day, or we can agree on something. It's your call."

The man had gone quiet, seeming to consider it. "Ya know.. I've always wanted to go out in a blaze of glory." He reached out and pulled on the girls hair, causing her to yelp in pain. "What about you darlin'? How do you wanna di-" A shot rang out and the man's gun flew to the floor along with a finger that followed. The girl fell away and to the ground as the man screamed and came around the corner bearing a machete in his other hand. His brown beard was stretched wide by his mouth that was emitting a warcry; a last ditch effort to cause some pain. He raised the blade and started to come down with it on the girl, but his bald head was soon splattered into a red cloud behind him with a shot from Elsa's M4. The machete came down still, with less force though and grazed the girl's side. A thin red line of blood formed as she got to her knees. She crawled over slowly and grabbed his gun, turning around and stood up. All the while, Elsa and Anna had lowered their guns and kneeled beside eachother and watched as the scene unfolded. The girl raised the revolver and shot the remaining four shots into the bandits carcass, the gun making clicking sounds as she pulled the trigger again and again. Elsa was the first to stand, moving to the girl and slowly taking the gun out of her grasp, throwing it to Anna. Wrapping an arm around her shoulders, Elsa brought her over to sit on a crate by Anna, who stood ready to comfort the girl.

"Hey, it's okay. You're safe now. Me and Elsa here will get you out of here." Anna said coming to sit by her. The girl nodded her head slightly, not speaking but breathing heavily. Her light blue eyes came up to meet Anna's and then closed as she took in and let out a deep breath. "What's your name?" Elsa asked, coming to kneel with the two girls, a hand going to the girl's shoulder.

"My names.. M-Madison." She said in a raspy, but calm and sweet voice. "It's Madison." A small smile came to tug at the edges of Madison's lips as tears started to swell in her eyes. Both Anna and Elsa noticed in time to reach around the girl, holding her between their sitting positions as she cried. The two older women looked at eachother for a second before back to the girl. Anna stuck the tip of her tongue out slightly at Elsa earning a playful glare from the older woman.

"How old are you, Madison?" The girl sobbed uncontrollably, unable to answer. "Hey." Elsa said, trying to sooth her. "Madison, i need you to calm down, okay? We have to ask you some questions," she looked up to Anna," to see if we can help you." Anna smiled sweetly back at her. Completely unaware of the silent exchange going on between the two, Madison's sobs became softer and she hiccuped a few times before being able to coherently speak to the two. "How old are you?" Elsa restated, rubbing her hand in comforting circles on Madison's back.

"I'm seventeen... i think.," she looked around with some contemplation,"Somewhere around there."

"Are you okay? Did those guys hurt you?" Anna asked.

"No, but my Papa.." a catch in her voice. She sucked in a deep breath and held back tears that were begging to be released. "They killed him." she simply stated.

"Do you have any other family? Anyone we can bring you back to?" Elsa asked.

She shook her head. "No. Everyone back home is dead. Those _assholes_ killed my entire family." She bared her teeth spitting the last sentence out. "That's why we were out here in the first place. To get _away_ from them."

Both Elsa and Anna hesitated and turned to look in each other's eyes. Elsa nodded yes, affirming Anna's silent request. "You wanna come back with us?" Madison looked at her with what looked like a mix of utter confusion and pure joy. "We have enough room back at our house. You can stay with us for as long as you like." Anna smiled at her.

"But-but i don't even know you. Either of you. Why would you even think of letting me into your home? How can you trust someone you just met?"

Elsa looked at her sternly."Trust me, i've been around some pretty fucked up people. You just don't fit that kinda person with me. My gut tells me otherwise."

The girl blushed slightly and smirked as she shifted her focus from Elsa to Anna and back again. Anna gently squeezed her shoulder."We can take good care of you, at least until you don't want us to anymore. If you come back with us, we promise you can leave whenever you want. We'll even teach you a few things when we go out. Like this trip, we were checking out that convoy down that way" She motioned with her gloved hand toward the direction of the road with the convoy; now one vehicle short of its original count, "when we saw those guys chasing after you. We made a pretty good entrance though, huh Elsa?" she winked at Elsa who chuckled back at her.

"Best entrance yet."

Thunder boomed and the sound of rain falling heavily across the airfield came into focus as they quieted down. "I should go get Bullet and the jeep," Elsa said standing and lifting her hood over her head, her braid slightly sticking out over her shoulder. Her face could barely be seen in the light and Anna got up to wrap her in a hug before she went out.

"Okay, just be careful. There could still be infected and other guys out there we didn't see." Elsa nodded as she pulled away from her. "Ill open the door for you when you get back.

Elsa nodded "Okay, i'll be right back. Just be ready." and with that, she turned, jogging out the door into the wall of rain that awaited outside.

Anna turned to Madison and pulled out a small pack from behind her that was attached to her vest. "Alright now, let's get that cut patched up." She walked to Madison's side and inspected the cut, reaching up to feel its sides for swelling. She heard Madison hiss and flinch as her fingers came into contact with her skin. "Well, there's no infection so that's good. I'm just gonna clean it and put a bandage on it, okay?" Madison looked at her, a worried expression on her face. "Don't worry, this is nothing sweetie.. just a little cut is all." She reached for the hem of Madison's top, stopping to ask if it was okay.

Madison nodded 'yes' and Anna lifted it just above the cut, not going any higher than she needed to. Madison had a light blush the entire time, making Anna try harder to reassure her she was there to help and not do anything more to the girl. She pulled out a roll of medical tape and a package, which she ripped open and brought a cloth soaked in alcohol to the wound, dabbing it along its length. She then put a piece of gauze over it and stretched the tape out over the edges, ripping it when she had enough length to hold the gauze on. She pulled Madison's top back down and patted her arm."You're good to go." She said smiling. The room flashed in lightning followed by a loud _B_ _oom_ that vibrated through the ground with its passing. "Now," She got up and turned to walk to the open door. "I'll be checking on that every once in awhile. I mean that is," She spun around on her heels to face Madison, making her pigtails swing across her chest, "If you're coming to stay with us." Madison only smiled back and shook her head yes.

"Thank you. Both of you." she got up and hugged Anna tightly.

"Ca- Can't Breathe." Anna struggled to squeak out.

"Oh. Sorry." The brunette released her, Anna being relieved to have air back in her lungs. Headlights pulled up to the door and Anna move to the large handles and pulled the door open. "Can you get that other one?" she asked.

"Sure." Madison hurried over, pulling the other sliding door open as Elsa drove through. The jeep stopped and Elsa got out, immediately reaching for the back door handle. Out came Bullet, who tackled Madison to the ground and sniffed around her neck and her hair, only to lick her face. Both girls still standing burst out laughing as Bullet moved off Madison to sit in between her owners. After The two laughing had calmed enough, Elsa helped Madison up off the ground and to her feet. "That's a first."

"What?" Madison asked, confused.

"He usually eats people when he first meets them."

Madison's eyes widened and her mouth parted slightly as she looked back to the pure white dog between the two woman. When she heard laughter she looked back up at them, curious to what was so funny. Both of them were doubled over and Anna pointed at her "Her face!" she laughed harder. Elsa straightened, still giggling to herself. Anna did the same, smiling as she reached down and scratched behind Bullet's ear; just where he liked it.

"Madison, this is Bullet. Our guardian angel." Anna said. "You can pet him if you like. He doesn't bite." Madison reached forward slowly,"mostly." Elsa playfully swatted her shoulder as Madison made contact with the top of Bullets head between his ears. "Hey! Will you quit that? You're starting to leave a mark." she narrowed her eyes at Elsa.

Elsa laughed,"Oh, hush you big baby."

"Only yours." Anna said unexpectedly, making Elsa's cheeks turn bright pink. She loved the reaction she got and smirked back at the blonde, who didn't reply.

"So, you're both... ya know.. Gay?" Madison chimed in.

They both nodded 'yes' and Elsa walked over to wrap her arm around Anna's shoulders. "I thought so.. You two look perfect together." she said smiling at the couple.

"Thanks," they both said in unison and looked at eachother, chuckling. Anna leaned forward and pressed her lips to Elsa's and pulled away with a giddy grin.

"We should probably come back another day. The rain isn't going to pick up anytime soon from the looks of it so, now would be a good time to head out." Elsa said.

"What about the salvage?" Anna asked.

"We'll stop by the convoy and gather up everything from the trucks and put all we can fit into one of the big trucks in the middle and ride out of here. We can come back another day."

The other two girls nodded.

"Madison, i want you to stay in the jeep. You don't have a jacket."

"I can help. Just get me one off of the bodies i saw out there. I wanna help you guys, not just sit around and do nothing while you do everything." She said looking between the other two.

Anna shrugged. "She wants to help. I say we let her." Elsa nodded in agreement. "Now, who's gonna drive the truck and who's gonna take the jeep?" Anna asked.

"I'm the only one who can hot wire it, so i've got the truck."

"What do i do?" Madison inquired.

"You can help us load up and then ride with Anna or me back home. Either way, you're not getting left behind." Elsa smiled at her, earning one back. "Okay."

"Are you ready?" Elsa asked, looking between the two girls in front of her. Both nodded yes and moved to the jeep and got in. Madison patted the seat next to her as she got into the back, expecting Bullet to climb in after her. Elsa smiled at the attempt. "Do this," she clicked her tongue twice to show her what to do. Madison clicked her tongue twice like Elsa showed her and patted the seat next to her where soon Bullet appeared. "There ya go." Elsa said as Madison looked back to her with a contented smile on her face. Elsa got into the driver's side and Anna got into the passenger seat. Elsa shifted it to drive and they watched as they turned around and headed back into the rain. The rain came down hard on the jeep, making a soothing sound as it hit the metal roof. They drove down the short length of runway and got onto the road, pulled around the convoy and stopped.

The two in the front got out, simultaneously throwing their hoods on as they stepped out. Elsa Anna went to the rear humvee and started to collect the salvage they would be taking back; rifles, ammo, gear, clothing, basically anything that wasn't bolted down, she took while Elsa was in the large truck in the front, sparking two wires together. She hit them once; no joy. She tried again; sparking the wires, but no ignition. "Come on, damn it." She hit them together once more, this time, the vehicle turned over; a cloud of black smoke puffing out of the exhaust stack on the side. "At'a girl." She said relief washing over her. She got out, bringing a army-issued coat to Madison. "Here, i found this. Don't worry, it was already in the seat. No blood." she yelled over the rain, giving a reassuring smile to Madison before she also stepped out to help the other two. "What am i looking for?"

"Anything we can use at all. Weapons, ammo, grenades, clothes, gas cans pretty much anything you can find, just bring it to the back of this truck."

Madison nodded, turning to run to the humvee in front of Anna's. Elsa went to the other large truck behind the one she had hot-wired and looked through the back. Only the body of a Corporal remained. His stripes the only indication Elsa could see that wasn't mangled. His standard issue M16 was beside him, the slide locked back, signaling the weapon was empty. This was the only soldier in this convoy she had seen that had looked to fight whatever it was that attacked them. His M9 laid beside his hand that was outstretched toward it, its slide was also locked back. A magazine for his pistol was clutched in his off hand. _This man had been fighting for his life when this went down_. She grabbed both empty weapons and slipped the mag from his hand, stepping out of the tarp covered truck bed and on to the now muddy road. Anna came around the corner. "We got everything back in the truck. Everything okay back there?" She asked.

"Yeah, everything's fine. I wanna tell you something later. Something doesn't seem right, but for now we have to get home." Anna nodded and started to head for the jeep when Elsa reached out and grabbed her wrist before she got away and pulled her in for a soft kiss. She let Anna go to get in the jeep. She walked up behind the truck, placing the two weapons in back with the pile of other things Anna and Madison had gathered. She went to front and got in, shutting the door and pulling a small cord that let out a low horn. Anna started on the way out and Elsa followed a safe distance behind her.

Anna drove through the gate to the airfield and turned onto the road that they had drove on to get here. "You are so lucky." She heard Madison say beside her in the seat that she usually sat in. "Why do you say that?"

"Because you've got Elsa. She's perfect. And she's got you, so she's just as lucky." The redhead blushed at the compliment.

"Yeah, i guess we are pretty lucky, huh?" She smiled to herself. She went up the off ramp they had gone down earlier with the hole to one side and checked her rearview mirror, checking up on Elsa behind her. They continued on the Interstate in a peaceful silence, save for the rain pattering on the roof till they got back to The Pyramid Colony and were stopped at the entrance by Isaac.

"Anna." He tipped his cap at her.

"Isaac," she respectfully nodded back.

"Who's the young lady with ya?" he asked.

"This is Madison. Me and Elsa rescued her from a group of bandits at a-" She considered keeping the airfield a secret for her and Elsa's return trip, but decided against it, seeing as the militia could use the extra firepower they were sure to acquire there. "abandoned military airfield. We were going to scavenge it, but got side-tracked, so if you wanna send a team over there, it may be worth your while." She smiled at him. There was a gleam in his eyes and she knew he was excited. He was always excited at the prospect of adding new 'toys' to their arsenal.

"Well, Miss Madison, when you get the chance come over to the militia headquarters on the fourth floor and we'll get you into our files as a resident." He smiled at her and stepped away from the jeep as Anna pulled it in. A few moments later, Elsa drove up and smiled as she saw a few of the guards on duty gawking at the military truck entering the settlement.

Anna pulled into the market and waited for Elsa to pass by and park behind Rahja's. Anytime the two had ever found any vehicles, they parked them behind Rahja's large shop. If anyone was seen even nearing the back, they were turned away thanks to Rahja's pit bulls, Buck and Nikko. Anna got out and Madison switched to the back seat as Anna got back into her spot up front as Elsa rounded the corner and walked up to the jeep, stepping in moments later. They drove back up to their house and as they were pulling into the garage, Anna squealed with excitement. "We're home! Are you ready for the grand tour? Where do we start, Elsa? The garage door, or the front door? Or should we start from the middle and work our way outwards? Maybe we can do like a spiral and show her-"

"Anna."

"the inside first and then move to the outer rooms. Oh! what if we-"

"Anna."

"start from the garage and do like a sweep through the house in like a sweeping mot-"

"Anna!" Elsa chuckled. "Why don't we just go in and show her as we go."

"That's good, too" Anna said smiling back at her girlfriend.

* * *

 **A/N Sorry this is so late guys n gals of FFN. Ive been applying to colleges and for student aid and all this stuff so i haven't had a whole lot of time to write. Thank you for all the views! Its nearing 2,000 tonight! All i can say is WOW! i never expected to get his much. also thank you for the reviews, the favorites and the follows. They really keep me going and show me that im not just writing just to write. That there are people enjoying my story. So, yeah, thank you all for the support. Ill try and get the next chapter out by this Saturday. if i dont, then expect it Sunday for sure. As always, follow if your new and wanna get notified when i update, favorite if you liked it, and review if you wanna share your thoughts. I value all opinions and suggestions you guys have for me. Thanks!**


	8. Chapter 8: Trouble on the Homefront

_**Chapter VIII: Trouble on the Homefront**_

* * *

The three girls got out and shut their doors. Madison, doing as Elsa had shown her, clicked her tongue twice and Bullet got out, trotting over to sit by the door and wait. Elsa and Anna went to the back and took off their vests and holsters, setting them on racks that hung on the wall next to the tarp-covered Raptor. Madison waited idly by the door to the house with Bullet, kneeling down to scratch behind his ears. Once Elsa had her jacket off and laying by her vest along with Anna's, she walked over, being followed close behind by the redhead. They reached the door and Madison stood as Elsa grabbed the doorknob. "Are you ready?" Madison shook her head up and down, a cheeky grin on her face. Elsa pushed the door open, giving it a small nudge with her hip as she went. Bullet was the first in, as usual, going in between Elsa and Anna as they went through the doorway. He went over to his small bed in the corner and turned in circles as Madison came into her new home for the first time. As she stepped foot into the home, the smell of strawberries hit her nose, causing her to breath in deeply, her eyes rolling back in delight. She didn't know what it was, but she loved every second of it. _"Wow."_ She said, causing both girls to turn towards her as they unlaced their boots. "Whats that smell? Its so... so sweet."

"Strawberries," Anna said, "My favorite fruit.. and my second favorite smell." She said and looked up smiling at Elsa. She winked at the older woman, casuing her to smile shyly with a blush creeping onto her face.

Elsa chuckled when she saw Madison's reaction to the new scent. "First time smelling it?"

Madison nodded "Mhmm. I never thought something could smell so wonderful." She looked around the half kitchen half dining room, taking it all in. "It's perfect." she smiled and took off her black and white sneakers

"You think this is perfect? Let us show you the rest of the house! There's.. well theres not _that_ much more, but theres still _more._ " Anna smiled walking into a hallway motioning for the other two to follow over her shoulder. She stopped and turned halfway. "Well, don't just stand there, come on!" Elsa started her way and, not long after, so did Madison. Anna stopped at the first room to their left and opened the wooden door to a small bathroom with white walls and wooden floors that had originally been the stadiums floors. "Well, this is pretty self-explanatory. It's a bathroom. You got your sink, your mirror, and then of course your toilet."

" _With_ running water." Elsa added, smirking as the other two turned towards her. Madison couldn't keep the giddy smile that was beaming across her face. "Next!" Anna shouted as she walked past the two with a slight skip in her step going to a white door that was just across the hall with small stencilings of blue snowflakes and lighter blue winds that followed the path of the single flakes. "This is mine and Elsa's room." They walked into a room roughly three or four times larger than the bathroom. She flipped a switch that turned a light on in the center of the ceiling revealing it's painted green walls and shag carpeting. A large king size bed with a white, almost transparent canopy spread over the top stood in the center flanked by a polished wood dresser, a small table with a lamp that Elsa used for reading and a light blue trunk at the foot of it. Clothes were still slung out in every direction, thanks to Anna and Elsa's excitement this morning. "Sorry it's so messy. We kinda just didn't care this morning." A light blush came to her cheeks as she remembered the staring game her and Elsa had played that morning. "That door over there is our bathroom, and i mean literally just a bathroom. The entire thing is just a shower and a bathtub." Elsa said. Madison nodded a small smile still unable to be broken on her face.

They walked out and Elsa closed the door as Anna and Madison rounded the corner in the hallway that led to the living room. They stopped at a white door just before exiting to it, however, and Anna stood in front of it with a smile spreading across her lips."Now this is your room." She turned the handle and went in with Madison in tow and Elsa, who stopped to lean on the doorway and she watched Madison take in the room. It was a little smaller than their room, but still had plenty of excess space that Madison could put more furniture and things of that nature in if she liked. "We've had this room for a while now. We always kept it clean in case we ever ran into someone who needed a place to say. Now, i guess it paid off." Anna said, smiling at the brunette. Anna's expression dropped as Madison's hands went to cover her face and Elsa walked up behind her and wrapped her arm around the girls shoulders. Anna walked forward, enveloping her in a tight, understanding hug. "You can let it all out now if you want." Elsa whispered in her ear.

The youngest pulled her hands away, wrapping them around both waists of the two surrounding her. Elsa, being the one on the outside, enveloped both girls in her arms. "I don't know what i did to deserve this, but whatever it was, damn it, i'm glad i did." Madison said into Anna's shoulder with the last few tears rolling down her cheeks. Elsa kissed the top of the girls head and rubbed small circles in her back as she felt her breath hitch and then her back start shaking again. "Thank you. Both of you. So so much." She said between sobs. "You don't have to thank us. After all, everyone has to work together to make it in this world." Anna said in the middle of the other two. Elsa loosened her grip on the two and let Madison look at the room as she still held Anna, who was loving the embrace to much to leave it. Madison went over to the bed that was covered with a white comforter and a baby blue sheet underneath.

The shag carpet under her feet was the softest thing she had ever touched as she walked over it. She sat on her new bed and looked around, eyes going to a dresser on the other side of the room next to a closed closet and a door that was in the same place as Elsa and Anna's room. Through it, she could see the closed door of a shower and then to the left of the door was a green footlocker that was open for her. "Since you've pretty much seen everything but the living room, go ahead and get comfortable. If you need anything, don't hesitate to ask." Anna said pulling Elsa along by their interlaced fingers.

They went to their rooms door and as soon as Elsa crossed the threshold, Anna threw her up against the wall beside it, crashing their lips together. Elsa's eyes slowly went from wide to sliding closed as her hands found Anna's hips and pulled her closer, moving it up her back. Anna shut the door with her foot and returned her full focus on the sexy woman in front of her. She felt Anna's hands slide down her sides to her butt and squeeze lightly. Elsa wrapped her leg around one of Anna's, drawing her even closer. When she felt her rock her hips forward, Elsa couldn't take it anymore. Her head fell back, her eyes rolling back as she let out a throaty moan. Anna took the opportunity to get at Elsa's exposed neck she loved so much. She kissed down Elsa's jawline and down over her pulse. She ran her tongue slowly over it as it seemed to increase and nibbled at the skin that covered it. One of Elsa's hands came up to behind her head and held her there while she continued to suck and lick at the older woman's neck. While Elsa was occupied with the overwhelming warmth of Anna and the growing tension in her core, she didn't notice Anna's hands working their way under her shirt and up her stomach onto her breasts.

She gasped, half in shock and half in ecstasy when her lover pushed her bra down and took one of her nipples in between her index finger and thumb, tweaking it while Anna's tongue made its way back up Elsa's neck and into her mouth. Their tongues fought for dominance and their breathing got heavier when Anna was the unspoken victor and Elsa had to submit to the younger girl who controlled the entire interaction. Anna pulled her mouth away just a little, only to where Elsa could feel her warm breath ghosting over her lips. When Elsa pushed her face closer to kiss her, Anna followed her movement, moving back just slightly so their lips stayed apart. Elsa made a low growl and pulled on Anna's butt to get her closer, reconnecting their lips and felt Anna's hands go from her breasts to her back as she walked them both over to the bed, falling on top of her. Their lips never lost contact and hands stayed where they were until Elsa broke the kiss, panting to regain her breath along with Anna's. "I love you, Anna" She smiled at the girl beneath her. "I love you more, though." Anna said with a sly grin. Elsa felt hands go from her butt back up her shirt and to her hips. "Nuh uh, no way. Thats impossible." Elsa said, her smile never leaving her face. Anna scooted herself further up on the bed and Elsa followed, straddling her in the process. "It is too possible!"

"No, there's no way." Elsa said pulling the red heads shirt collar up to her, kissing her and following her head back down to the bed. She pulled away, their foreheads touching and eyes locked into eachother's gaze.

"I wish i could just be with you like this every second of the day. I hate not being like this. So close to you, feeling you with me. Or well in this case, on top of me. But i wish it could be like this all the time."

"Me too." Elsa smiled and then the expression fell. "But it can't."

"Why not? I mean, can't we just stay here and be with eachother?" Anna asked a small pout forming.

"We have to try our best to help people, Anna. I wish we could stay here every single day for the rest of our lives, but until there's no suffering here, we can't." Anna sighed at her words. "But i'll spend every moment of that with you and the days that we aren't out there, I wouldn't rather be anywhere else than here in your arms."

Anna gave a small smile and pecked Elsa's lips, pushing her nose into the crook of her neck. "I don't wanna go to sleep tonight." She mumbled into Elsa's skin. Elsa rolled off her and moved up to rest her head on the pillows.

"Come here." she said holding her arms out to Anna.

She crawled up and into the embrace, repositioning back to Elsa's warm neck. She brought her right leg over both of Elsa's in a lazy straddle and moved her left arm under the older girl while the other went to Elsa's opposite shoulder. "You don't have to. We don't have anything to do tomorrow anyways." Elsa said, bringing the hand that was under Anna over her back and up to her head, lightly running her nails across her scalp. "You're my everything. You know that, right?" Elsa asked more as a statement than anything else. She felt Anna's head bob back and forth.

"You're my everything, too, ya know. And you always have been. I don't want you to ever think different." she kissed Elsa's neck. They stayed like that for another hour, neither woman speaking but only enjoying the other's embrace.

* * *

Madison had gone through the room, looking at the space she'd be calling her's for the foreseeable future. She looked in the dresser, surprised to see it filled with clothes her size. She also looked into the closet and ran her hand along the coats and jackets that hung there. She pulled out a white sweater on the end and put it on to combat the slight chill the unused room had and then exited her room to turn down the short length of hall that was between her room and the living room. She turned the corner, spying a long couch that was in the middle of the room, adjacent to the front door and a safe distance from a fireplace. It ended at the wall on the opposite side of the room and her eyes followed the wall and went over a large pane window that looked out over the market. She moved from the window and marveled at the wall of bookshelves that was lighted dimly by the light from the window. Hundreds of books covered them, ranging from large hardback books to small children's. Even a geography textbook could be found in the mix. She ran her index finger over the spines reading the various titles. There was no wall on this side to be seen. All there was was books and a fireplace to hide the white wooden barrier that separated them from the outside.

She stopped when she came to the last spine that was the closest to the window. She got down to her knees and looked out over the market and several shelters that were built into the seat sections of the stadium. Her head came down to rest on top of her arms as she watched the bustling of people below. She saw a woman in a seat that was near a small house who held a baby wrapped in a white blanket. The women rocked the baby back and forth gently and slowly, taking great care in how she handled the infant. Madison smiled at the all too rare scene. _So this is home now,_ She thought. Thunder could be heard above them through the metal and concrete roof, even though it was only a light, distant rumble, it still showed the storm had no intentions of stopping soon. A noise behind made her jump. A large mahogany grandfather clock dong-ed at the time; ten o'clock. Madison had been taught to use the light for telling time, but seeing a machine do it made it another worry to check off her mental list.

It was getting late and she got up to go tell the others goodnight when she heard a loud snapping sound coming from the window. She stepped up to the window and looked out over the market. The people were moving into shelters some brandishing weapons and taking cover behind buildings. Her eyes flicked up to the entrance where she saw flashes of yellow light and more snaps and bangs came. She saw a man with a rifle that was hauling another man that looked like he was shot in one of his legs by one shoulder. He dropped him behind a cement barrier and took aim down the corridor that led outside. More men came and joined him, one of them she recognized as Isaac, the one who greeted them earlier. He was followed by a young blonde man and they both took cover behind a wooden shelf that lined the wall near the entrance. Madison tore her eyes away from the scene and ran to Elsa and Anna's room, knocking frantically and before they had the chance to open it, there was a knocking at the front door, too. The door in front of her swung open and Anna sped past her followed by Elsa who stopped in the doorway, rubbing her eyes. "What's goin on?" she asked Madison as they heard the front door open.

"There's something going on down there. I-I don't know what, but people are getting hurt," she said, remembering the wounded man. Elsa looked at her for a second and over her shoulder to the living room and then started down the hall towards the back, following the corner to the dining room and to the garage door. Before opening it, she turned back to Madison who was looking back at her with an expression of fear.

"Everything's gonna be okay. Lock the front door. if anyone tries breaking in, there's a shotgun in a corner of our room," She opened the door,"All you have to do is pump it once and you're good to go." Elsa turned to go and just before the door closed she looked back over her shoulder. "Stay here." and with that, the door shut.

She heard a commotion behind her and saw Anna sliding on the wooden floor as she came around the hallway corner. She sped past her to the garage door where Elsa went. She turned halfway and smirked. "Don't worry, we got this." she said as the door shut.

Madison turned around and went to their room, finding the shotgun and coming out with it. She remembered Elsa's instructions and grabbed the grip that was attached to the pump and pulled it back and then pushed it forward again. She went to the window and watched as she saw Anna and Elsa running toward the fray that was now entering the stadium. The militiamen from earlier had pulled back quite a ways, allowing the raiders to come through the entrance into a crossfire. She looked down at the market where several shop owners and civilians had weapons of their own and were waiting for the raiders to break through. Elsa and Anna reached them and spoke to a small, darker skinned man in front of a shop and then started running again up the stairs toward the militiamen. As they ran up, Anna stopped, turned and raised her rifle in the air. seconds later the civilians were flowing up the stairs behind her. Elsa was already at the top and instructing a women who had ammunition boxes to distribute the ammo amongst the men if the stadium was sieged.A man who was following Anna had a large machine gun over his shoulder and, when he got to a concrete barrier that the militia were using, he dropped it onto a bipod and poured hot lead down the corridor.

Madison didn't like missing out. She got frustrated quickly that she wasn't helping any and decided to join the fight in any way she could. She got up from the window and went to the door, opening it, locking it and shutting it behind her. Running along the upper walkway, she could hear the gunfire getting louder and louder as she approached. She passed a boarded up entrance and stopped when she heard an engine revving near by. Walking back to see what it was, she saw light coming from behind the boards and knew that it had to be the attackers. She ran as fast as she could to the nearest two militia that were taking cover in an old Pizza Hut booth. "Hey! They're coming through over there!" She pointed back. "What!?" the gunfire was too loud for them to hear her. "The-" A large diesel truck cut her off plowing through the wood that sealed off the entrance and crashed into the concrete that separated the stands from the walkway. The two men got up and she followed them as they moved to take cover behind two pillars while Madison brought her back to a bathrooms concrete doorway. The two men shot the driver who was getting out, his body flopping to the ground and several others came in behind the truck, stepping through the wooden shards. The first few were cut down by the militiamen, but when they reloaded, four or five had gotten through and were headed their way.

Madison stepped out, bringing the shotgun up and firing a shot from the hip. the shot spread far enough to catch two of them, sending them off their feet and to the ground. She pulled the pump back, sliding another shell in, and pushed it forward. One of the people who had come through was coming up on the closest militiaman with an axe and she pulled the trigger. The buckshot struck him across his chest and sent him against the wall, blood following him as he slid down. The man she had saved turned around the pillar and aimed at the dead body with his now reloaded weapon. He went back behind and took cover, nodding to her in thanks. The last one was a bit smarter. Madison went back into cover, still looking for him. The two men had reloaded by now and then more of the raiders came through. A large man in army fatigues stopped next to her, lifting an M240B light machine gun and pulling the trigger, releasing a hail of bullets at the raiders that were advancing on their position. His beard stretched along with a smile that graced his face.

The two militiamen and Madison got out of cover and fired at them, too. They advanced under the machine gun's covering fire behind them. The shooting stopped abruptly, signaling the soldiers reload and the raiders attack resumed in full force. Madison was now behind a large stack of cinder blocks that had been meant to replace the wood blocking the entryway for a more stable and reliable barrier, but it had come too late. Now it only served as cover from the tirade of bullets that came her way. She saw another raider moving up who was trying to flank them and she lifted the shotgun, but only receiving a disheartening click when she pulled the trigger. "Hey!" One of the militiamen taking cover near her yelled. She looked up, fear evident in her facial features. He pulled out a Glock and held it up, signaling he was going to throw it to her. She held out her hands to catch it as it flew through the air, but pulled back when a bullet struck the cinder blocks next to her, sending bits into her left arm and side. She brushed off the dust and pieces and looked to the pistol that lay only a few feet in front of her. She peeked around the edge of her cover to see that the raiders were gaining ground on them.

The militiaman that had thrown her the pistol went down when a bullet struck his shoulder and then another in the center of his chest. A third struck him lower, around the kidneys. He was on his back staring up at the ceiling, then he blinked a couple times, raising his rifle just enough to fire back at them. He got off two shots before his head snapped back hard onto the ground; a bullet hole just above his right eye. Madison's eyes started to well with tears at the sight of the dead man only a few years older than her. Her eyes quickly moved to the pistol still out in the open. The attacking group was only down to about a third of their original count and the radio calls she could hear them making were telling the remaining ones to fall back. She looked to see if they had gotten the message, and sure enough, they were moving back, laying down fire as they went. They were only shooting back enough to suppress them, not really hitting anything.

She ran out, ducking as she went and grabbed the gun and then moved up to where the dead soldier was. Seeing him laying there didn't make her sad anymore. Only anger and hate remained. She stole a peek over the counter. The raiders were nearly back to the entrance when the machine gunner behind them started firing again. They would be too bogged down to move until his magazine went empty, so she took the opportunity to her advantage. She went back to the cinder blocks and around the other side. A dip in the walkway's floor that had allowed the people walking to see the games that were played there allowed her to sneak along undetected. She followed it to the truck that had wrecked and went around to the other side and waited for the storm of bullets to stop and their retreat. When the first came into sight, she put the sights on his head and fired two shots, the first missing and the second striking him on the bridge of his nose.

The next two targets came into view, still unaware of her. She didn't aim anymore and only guessed as she pulled the trigger twice, then three times, then a fourth. The first bullet hit the first raider, a man with a patchy beard, in the knee and made a line up his body, the next hitting him in the left hip and then the next around where his heart was. The next one hit a woman who was firing at the militia in the stomach and she fell to the ground. She waited for more to come, but none did so she looked over the bed of the truck and waved when she saw the coast was clear.

The soldier who was one of the first two to come help her got up and jogged to her position, looking through the now broken boards of the entrances barriers. The machine gunner also moved up next to her. He kicked a few of the bodies making sure they were dead. He found one that was still alive who held his hands up in surrender. The soldier would have none of it as he raised the rather large gun and let out a burst of rounds into the raiders body. She heard a groaning behind her and looked to see the woman she had shot was still alive. She didn't move when Madison spotted her. Her eyes were wide and visibly, tears started coming down her face. Whether it was guilt or pain or fear, Madison didn't know. The soldier who was at the entrance walked to her and lifted one of her arms over his shoulder, raising her off the floor. "What are you gonna do with her?" Madison asked him.

"We gotta find out where these people came from. I doubt we wanna have this happen again." His gaze went over her shoulder to his dead comrade who lay on the ground."We've already lost enough, dontcha think?" He returned his eyes to hers, giving her an expression that spoke soundless words. Madison gave him a small, knowing nod. He walked off with the woman and didn't look back.

Madison turned back to the deceased militiaman and walked over to him. She didn't know why she was standing over his body, but she knelt down anyways, taking his hand in hers. A teardrop fell that she didn't know had escaped and landed on his _82nd Airborne_ patch on his jacket. "Thank you," she whispering seemingly to herself.

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 **A/N I made it! I was hoping i could get this out today. Anywho, Is the changing POV okay? is it confusing any of you guys? I was just wondering since the way i'm doing the POV is a bit different than how i've read most other stories so i wanted to make sure it was alright with you guys. I want to announce that i'm writing another Elsanna story that will be filled with smut and more angst that is set in the movies setting, so that will be out within the next month. I'm still trying to get motivation for a plot with that. Eh, it'll come to me in time. Also, I'll be putting out two chapters this upcoming week. The first will be out by Wednesday and the other will be out by Saturday. As usual, follow if you wanna get notified when i update, favorite if you enjoyed it so far, and leave a review telling me what you thought, what you liked, disliked, errors, suggestions, etc.. They mean alot to me with this story and, honestly, are what keep me going, along with the favs and follows. Thanks guys!**


	9. Chapter 9: First Days of the Last

**A/N to avoid any confusion, the next few chapters are going to be in past and are pretty essential to the story. Don't hate me for this chapter! please... Hope you guys like it! Enjoy!**

 _ **Chapter IX: First Days Of The Last**_

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"Elsa! Honey, come on, you're gonna be late for school!"

"I'm coming, momma!" Elsa said, coming down the stairs.

She walked to Idunn who had her hand extended the young child and took it with her own smaller version. Her mother had stopped suddenly just before getting to their front door. Elsa looked up at her, and did what she could to not worry about the worrisome expression that had momentarily graced her face. Elsa followed her gaze to a small TV on the kitchen counter that was on a news channel. The anchors talked back and forth, in conversation with themselves. Elsa didn't know what about, but she caught the words that she could understand and tried to string some sense to them. "We are getting confirmed reports of... spreading throughout the... of the world. The United States is doing its best to aid in the... of the virus, but this has been met with... from several... who feel we should... and keep to ourselves." The man stopped talking and the women turned to face the camera to take her turn. "In other news, we have the first... of the virus appearing in Los Angeles and another in Seattle. These are not..." She felt her mothers hand tug on her own lightly. "It's nothing to worry about, dear. Its like the cold you had a couple weeks ago, remember?" Elsa shook her head yes. "Are you ready to go?"

"Ready." She said, smiling up at her mother. "Alright then, lets go." They stepped outside and went to the car, Elsa getting into the back seat along with her baby sister, Anna, next to her in a car-seat. She had just turned five only a couple days before and yet, she still had her red hair in pigtails. Elsa had learned to do them for her when her hair became long enough and, since Anna loved Elsa's braid that she had most of the time, she just had to have it to go with Elsa's. The sunlight shown through the snow covered palm trees above and into their window as the surroundings outside the car started to pass. Anna reached over the arm rest of the seat and took Elsa's hand, interlacing their little fingers like they always do. She smiled a toothy grin that stretched across her face and Elsa stifled a giggle behind her free hand when she saw it. "Are you going to school?" Anna said with a barely noticeable sadness in her expression; her eyes were wider with some semblance of hope that her big sister would say no and her tiny lips were parted just the slightest.

"Yeah," Elsa looked down, not wanting to see the sad look on Anna's face. "You'll come back, right?" Elsa looked back up, sadness replaced with shock at the question. "Of course i will, silly head. I'll be back before you know it," she said, wrapping an arm awkwardly around her sister. "I promise." she smiled at her baby sister when she pulled away. A solemn tear ran down Anna's cheek. Elsa reached over and wiped it off with her thumb. "Ill come back and then we can play in the snow!"

"Yay! I cant wait, Elsa!" the younger girl said, throwing her arms up in the air. Elsa giggled at her excitement. The car came to a stop in front of a building neither girl had ever been to. "Where are we, Momma? This isn't the school, is it?"

"No, darling, its the post office. I just have to run in and check our mail box for your shot records. I'll be right back, okay?" and with that, their mother was gone. Even though it was just for the time being, the girls unbuckled their seat belts when they saw their mother had gone through the front glass doors of the post office. Elsa stood up on the floor of the car and reached fully around Anna wrapping her in a full hug that more than made up for the awkward, one armed hug from earlier. After they buckled their seat belts yet again, their mother was on her way out. She got in murmuring to herself something about the "stupid asshole clerk." Elsa looked to Anna with wide eyes and, when the look was returned, both girls went into a fit of giggles. "What's so funny?" Their mother asked, chuckling at the two's laughter. "You said... _butthole."_ Anna said, scrunching up her face in mock disgust after she said it, which made Elsa laugh. She also heard their mother laughing in the front, too as she back up into the street. "You are just too cute, Anna." Only silence before the car slowed down to around fifteen miles an hour. "What in the world.." Idunn said just above a whisper. Elsa pushed down on her seat to raise her rear to get a better look at what was happening. The car had stopped and not very far in front of them, a fight had broken out with a large crowd of people right in the middle of the street. "Idiots." They heard her say and shift into reverse. "Mommy! Look out!" Anna screamed. Idunn looked forward and gasped when a man in ripped up clothes started running for their car. His teeth were barred and his hair was long, going just to his shoulders and connecting to a long scraggly beard. His arms flailed about as he got closer and closer to them. Anna screamed and Elsa looked on in fear at the deranged man. Idunn pushed the gas down further, easily outrunning the man. She backed two or three blocks before turning around and heading another way. "What was wrong with that man, mommy? Why did he look so mad? and why were his clothes all torn up?" Anna asked.

"I don't know, sweetie." she said from the front seat. "Elsa, your coming home. The schools will shut down soon."

"But it just started." Elsa objected.

"I know but it wont be..." she searched for a word the younger girls would understand. "working for much longer."

"Does that mean we can build a snowman when we get home?" Anna asked. " _Another_ snowman?" Idunn asked,"What about Olaf in the back yard?"

"We can make him a friend!" Elsa said, bouncing in her seat. The girls alleviated much of the stress and anxiety that was going through Idunn's head making her smile at the two in the rear view mirror. The sound of skidding tires and the crunch of metal on metal came to their ears too late as their bodies jerked along with the inertia that they had. Their heads swung back and forth as the car rolled three then four and then five times, finally hitting a brick building only a few blocks away from their house. Elsa's eyes struggled to focus and the edges of her vision were black. She looked to her left at Anna, who had a small line of red running from her nose. Her eyes were closed and she didn't know if she could move. Everything hurt. Her head had gotten very heavy and then her eyelids slowly drifted shut. She fell into the black of unconsciousness.

 _ **Two Days Later**_

Elsa woke up in a soft bed that had bright purple sheets and a green and red quilt over her. _Where am i?_ She wondered as she looked around in confusion. The moonlight shown brightly through her window in a bright blue-ish hue. Her sleep had obviously been restless as the blankets were wrapped around her legs. She tried sitting up but stopped half way, hand going up to her head. She wasn't prepared to feel a bandage where she usually felt her own skin. She looked around the mostly bare room. The bed she was on sat against a wall opposite a dark wooden door that was slightly ajar. A small table with instruments and things she hadn't seen before sat next to the bed along with a black spinning chair next to it. "H-hello?" she managed to squeak out through her dry throat. She heard a commotion on the other side of the door and a small man with a blue jacket on came through it. On the side there was a patch with a snake that wound around a pole in the middle of a white star and the letters _E.M.T._ were above it. He was short, maybe a couple inches taller than her mother, but fit looking and maybe around twenty five years old. He had a small stubble growing along his jawline and a sincere glint in his eye. Short black hair curled out from under his blue and white cap and his mouth moved, but Elsa heard no sound. "Wh-what'd you say?" His face went from confusion to understanding as he pulled the thick edges of the bandage on her head upwards over her ears. She could now hear his low, but soothing voice as he talked to her. "How're you feeling, sweetheart? Everything feel okay?"

"I-I guess. I-I-I mean i th-think so." She managed to stutter out. "I'm really thirsty though."

He reached behind him and brought his bag forward, retrieving a bottle of water for her. She twisted the cap off and as soon as the cool liquid hit her tongue, she couldn't stop herself from trying to drink it all in one gulp. "Woah, woah, woah. Easy there, killer. You just woke up so you need some time to adjust. Just take it slow. Don't want you throwing up." She slowed down, bringing the remaining half of the water away from her lips. "What's your name,sweetheart?"

A moment of stark realization hit her as she couldn't tell the man. She had no clue what her name was. "I-" She thought for a second. "My name is-" tears began welling in her eyes. She felt so helpless and stupid at the same time. "I cant," she put her free hand up to her temple, trying to think harder, but didn't come up with anything. "You were in a car wreck a couple days ago with your mom and your sister. They- well they didn't make it, hun, i'm sorry." The tears were flowing freely now and the man sat on the edge of the bed and wrapped her in his arms. Her face went to his shoulder and let out the frustration she was going through. She was balled up in his arms with her hands gripping the front of his jacket and sobbing while he sat there, just holding her. "Hey. Hush now, everything's okay. We're safe here. This is my home by the way in case you were wondering where you were. My names Stephen." She pulled away and he cradled her, looking down at the young girl. I found this lunch card in your pocket though." He reached into his pocket and brought out a card. "Does Elsa sound familiar?" She thought about it and it did seem oddly familiar. "I know that name. I don't know where i heard it, but i know it."

"That's because it's your name." He held the card out to her. Beside her name was a small picture of her, solidifying his statement. "So, my momma and my sister.. did you- did you see if they really were dead?" She asked, the pain evident in her voice. "I checked their heartbeats. Your mother died when that truck hit you, so she didn't feel any of it. Your little sister, though, was still alive but only barely. She had to have passed while i was getting you out. If she didn't then it would have happened while i was getting her out of her belt. It was very weak, so I... I didn't have a choice." His voice hitched at the last word. "The infe-" He stopped. "Some very bad people were around there and i couldn't just leave you there." A single, solitary tear ran down his cheek. Even though his expression was hard, she could tell there was a lot of bad things going through his head. He was strong, and Elsa could see it despite her young age. She lifted her hand and wiped off the tear with her thumb, not knowing it was just the way she had with her little sister.

"I'm sorry. About everything. I just want you to know that if i could have saved them... both of them, i would have done it." She wrapped her arms around his neck and he wrapped his around her small torso, taking comfort in the seven year old's company.

 ** _Three Hundred Miles Away_**

Anna awoke tucked into large bed in the middle of a room. She looked down at the foot of it, raising her head and hissing in pain as it throbbed and she dropped back down onto the pillow. The moonlight's bright grey-blueish color came through a window on the other side of the room and onto a sleeping form in a chair. His white cap read _FDNY_ in dark blue letters. He was muscular and his beard went down to his chest. His cheek rested on his shoulder at an odd angle, but he was somehow sleeping despite the uncomfortable looking position. Anna didn't make a noise. She didn't know where she was, but with the man there, she felt safe; protected. She only laid in the bed, staying still for a few moments before she felt the need to go to the bathroom. She raised up slower this time and climbed to the edge of the bed and then slipped down the slight drop to the floor. She padded to the door that was open with a light on and opened it enough to get through. She hadn't noticed, but the man had heard her hit the creaky floor and slowly opened his eyes only to see the top of Anna's red hair move along the edge of his bed. He looked at her with disbelief as she came into view, the bandage still wrapped around the back of her head. She passed him and his eyes got wider as she ran to the door with her little legs, opened it and then went across the hall to his bathroom and shut the door. He looked out the door for a second, keeping silent. _Damn. This girl is one tough little monster. She shouldn't even be able to walk just yet._ He turned back to face forward and took his cap off momentarily to run a had over the small stubbles on his scalp and replaced the hat on his head. He heard the toilet flush and the little girl's feet pitter patter through the door. He watched her try and climb up on the bed, only to fall off onto her rear. He smiled, chuckling mentally. She tried it again. Then again. And again. _hmhm She doesn't have any quit in her, does she?_ He finally got up and just before she was about to fall, he gave her a light push on her butt, giving her the extra oomph she needed to get back on the bed. She turned around as she got up to face the man, her eyes growing wide. They went back to normal as she said "Thank you, sir!"

He chuckled and turned away, heading back to his chair. When he got there and sat down, he looked back over to her and saw that she had already put herself under the covers and closed her eyes. As she went back to sleep, a pained expression crossed the man's face. _I'm gonna have to tell her. Get it over with. It'll make things easier later. Sure she may cry some, but she'll be stronger because of it.. even though she's already pretty tough. Just hope that paramedic guy is taking care of the other girl._ He had found the wreckage after helping some of his firefighter buddies with an explosion that had killed a few people on the other side of the Los Angeles. He'd only been there a couple years, but being a special forces vet, it wasn't to hard to come across more guys like himself and make friends.

 _He saw a paramedic jump out of an ambulance that was slowing down and run to the wreckage. He reached to the woman in the drivers seat, feeling her pulse and then went back and did the same to the children in the back seat. He took the older girl who was bleeding from her head and put her in the back. He looked back at the car with a pained expression. The other guy that was in the back of the ambulance patted him on the shoulder and he looked down at the ground. He turned back and got in, shutting the door behind him as the ambulance sped off. A wail in the distance caught his attention as he shifted his focus back to the wreckage and he started running before he had time to think about what he was going to do after he got there. He went to the open door the EMT had used and got in, checking the two remaining's pulses to justify the paramedics actions. The woman in front, more than likely the mother, was dead. Her skin was cold to the touch and her lips had gone light grey. The child in back, however, had a heartbeat. It was faint, but all be damned, it was a chance. He took the belt off from around the girls car seat and gently lifted her into his arms, noticing the name that was sewn into the cover of the car seat; 'Anna' . He held her in one arm close to his body as he saw the first of the infected round the corner at the end of the street they were on, which was about seven or eight hundred yards away. They spotted him immediately and began running after him, some tripping over eachother at the sight of prey. He turned and ran as fast as he could to the fire station he was meeting some friends that were planning to head out of the city. He got there just as the big red engines and trucks were pulling away. The last truck in the column stopped and let him on. A EMT that had tagged along with their group tended to the girls knock to the head and bandaged her up, handing her back over to him._

He closed his eyes and lowered his head to his chest, using it's muscle as a cushion to drift off to a light slumber.

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 **A/N Okay, now you know why i don't want you to hate me.. please don't! haha but yeah, this is a huge point in the story (and its still early on!) and I've gotten huge support from you guys n gals so thank you all so much! Im gonna try and go back and forth with the flashbacks and the present time so let me know if it gets confusing. I'll try and make it obvious if its a flashback chapter.. well not painfully obvious but you know, drop certain details here n there. Anywho, as usual, favorite if you liked it, follow if you want to get notified when i update, and leave a review telling me what you liked, disliked, questions, comments, suggestions, want more details, futu- awe you get what i mean. Thanks!**


	10. Chapter 10: Passing On What Is Mine

_**Chapter X: Passing On What Is Mine**_

 _ **Anna, Seven Years Later, Sierra Nevada Forest, California**_

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"Come on, Buck! We're gonna lose him if you keep being a slow poke." A twelve year old Anna said as they trudged through the brush of the Sierra Nevada's thick forest.

"I'm coming, i'm coming." The large man grumbled behind her, "Sheesh. Got no patient bone in your body do yuh, Anna Bear." He said, grinning.

The blood trail had thinned and it was getting harder to track the large stag Anna had shot. It was her first and she was reluctant at first, but seeing as they were pretty low on meat, it was ideal to teach Anna something as big as the lesson was with taking a life. Anna had stopped on the path as she looked around looking for tracks in the dirt and anything that was a tell-tale sign that the stag had been through here. "It got away.." she turned to him looking down in disappointment. She turned around towards him and started walking back the way they came. Buck stopped and watched her for a second think about what he could say to make this stick in her head. She would have to remember this lesson to survive out there amongst the nightmare's He and his friends had been hiding her from. "Anna," she turned to him with a small pout on her face,"come on, just a little further. You can't give up that easily. If you do, you could miss a lot things you'd wish you had later... like this meat. Now, do you want deer steak for dinner or do you want another one of those MRE's that Conner has been giving you." He smiled, knowing her answer from all the times she complained about how the dry, almost tasteless food had worked on her appetite for something a little more.. fulfilling to eat. "Fine." She narrowed her eyes at him."But just so you know, we're not gonna find anything."

He looked at her with a grin that told her he knew something. She walked past him, and pushed aside several branches that were in their way of a clearing. The knee length grass swayed in a light breeze along with the branches of the trees surrounding them. In the center of the small clearing about twenty or thirty yard away was the stag laying on its side across a log. They could see its breath fogging from its flaring nostrils. Blood ran down its furry shoulder and down across its chest to the log below. Small bits of coagulated blood clung to the bullet hole that was perfectly aligned with the heart of the now conquered beast. "Good shot, kiddo. Right where i told you to hit it." He smiled and pulled off his FDNY cap, putting it on her head. They started towards it and, only after a few steps, they heard a distant screech. A wail that was much closer to them, _definitely less then a hundred yards,_ followed. _What are they doing all the way out here?!_ Buck's mind screamed as he thought of what to do besides stare at the surrounding brush. Anna backed up to stand beside him. Without thinking his rifle had been pulled up to bare on the potential threat that surrounded them. "When I tell you to run, you run okay?" He whispered to her without looking.

"No, i'm not leaving you!" she hissed through her teeth.

"You'll do as i say, Anna, I won't tell you again. Now stay quiet and be ready." He said, slowly stepping back as she stayed behind him, keeping his pace. There were rustles in a small group of hedges on an adjacent side of the tiny scenic meadow and then a small, dark humanoid figure charged out straight at the vulnerable deer at the center. It moved quickly from the tree line to the kill, stopping only to sniff the air and asses its surroundings. The wind was flowing from their front, so the ghoul couldn't smell them in the breeze. Buck kept his SCAR's scope on it's head as it looked around, slowly edging toward the slain animal, still not aware of their presence. When it reached the nearly dead animal and saw that it was still breathing, it hissed and lunged its teeth at its neck, creating a spray of blood that even they could see from their position. It sprayed up into the air as the animal tensed its muscles one last time, the fog of its breath no longer came. After a few seconds of stillness, the creature that used to be human unlatched its jaws from the animal and let out a primal roar into the sky. The shrubs and bushes that surrounded the scene exploded with more of the infected that sprinted out to dine on freshly killed flesh. Even Buck couldn't count how many there were.

 _Oh God.. We have_ got _to get out of here. Now!_ He thought to himself. The next few seconds were pure silence. Not even the sound of the wind blowing could be heard. Anna's and Buck's heart rate slowed, making time seem to go slower along with it. They could only hear their individual heartbeats as the ghoul that had first entered the clearing turned seemingly slow in their altered sense of time towards them. It's face was covered in blood, bits and strings of meat and blood hanging from it's mouth. It's mouth was normal size at first but then it slowly crept into an inhuman smile. Time sped up again when it bulged its eyes and let out a gut wrenching scream, causing all of the infected in the scramble for the deer to turn towards them.

 _Oh God. Oh God, Oh God!_ Anna's conscious yelled at her to run, to sprint away in the opposite direction and lose them in the thick trees, but Buck remained still and so did she. "Anna," He said without moving a muscle. "I want you to turn and run as fast as you can back to camp and warn Mitch and the others and then get inside the house and lock it up. Wait until my go. Got it?" His breathing was calm, eyes focused forward on the group that was staring back at them. Anna's breathing picked up, "No, we're a team and we stick together. Im not going anywhere without you."

"Not the time." He said still not moving. "Are you ready?" The rifle held in his grip shifted to the left. He was targeting the ones on the outside first. He was going to fight them, and Anna knew it. Despite her age, years on the road with Buck had taught her many things about survival and him as a person. He'd told her stories about before this, when people went to war with one another over land and oil and many lessons came with these tales. It wasn't just about the mission when he went out. It was always about the person next to you. They come first. Many of his lessons, stated and not, she would remember until her final days.

She pulled her cap on tighter and nodded, even though he couldn't see it. "GO!" He yelled squeezing a shot off milliseconds after he shouted the order, sending a round through the skull of an infected on the very edge of the group. Anna bolted into the forest behind him, not looking back when she heard the shot and moved to the next as the group exploded into motion towards him. She ran, bobbing in and out of the trees and jumping over a fallen log. She ran until her legs burned and then kept running. She didn't hear the sporadic shots behind her; her blood was flowing to quickly through her ears and the adrenaline allowed her to focus on staying on the move. Her pace picked up as she found the path back to their camp, along with her hope that she could get some help for Buck. The sliding chain link gate came into view and Michael, a well-built fire-fighter, stood guard on top of an old tractor trailer. His dark blue cap covered his face shadow as she was running towards him. "Mike!" He looked up. "Michael! Open the gate! Hurry!"

"Anna, whats-"

"Just do it!" She snapped. He stepped on a pedal that activated a motor while it was held down, opening the gate just enough for Anna to get through. "Where's Buck?" Anna was slumped over, panting heavily. She pointed a thumb over her shoulder, not looking up until she caught her breath. "He's out there.." She breathed for a second. "He's fighting them.. alone." In the distance, gunshots could be heard, but only barely. "Who was it, Anna? Be specific."

"There were," a breath,"These people." She swallowed the dry lump in her throat. "They were like animals!" She yelled in anger. "They came out of nowhere, and took my deer and now.. now they're after Buck!" her eyes started welling with tears as she said the final words. Michael jumped down and started running to a large wooden building that sat right next to the road that ran through their camp. He stopped when he noticed she wasn't following. "Come on, Anna! We have to tell the others." She couldn't help the tears running down her cheeks as she ran behind him.

They burst through the door, Anna coming in just after Michael. The face of Conner and two others came into view as they rounded the corner to the living quarters. "I think we've got infected on the perimeter. Anna came running back in and she says Buck's out there fighting them alone."

"That crazy bastard.. They weren't supposed to be here for another year!" Sandesky, a thin man who had been one of the only civilians they had brought along and hadn't lost.

"I know! I know they weren't, but they are, so we have to do something _now."_

Conner spoke up,"Well, first we have to help buck. Michael, get a couple guys and go see if you can find him. Bring him back if you can." Anna stood helplessly to the side and shifted her weight from foot to foot as she watched and listened to the men deliberate on a course of action. She remembered Buck's last instruction, so she turned around and went for the door, but was stopped before she reached it. "Anna, where are you going?" Michael had followed her when he saw her turn down the hall. "I have to go home and lock it up. Buck told me to and I don't want something to happen and the house to be messed up when he comes back." She didn't want to believe he was dead. She _couldn't_ believe he was. He'd been like a parent for as long as she could remember. Tears shown brightly in her eyes again and she wiped them away using her sleeve as she turned to go out the door.

"Well, if you're going, i guess i am too." They both walked out into the cool, January air and ran towards Buck and Anna's house; a small wooden house that was close to the fence she had just came through. It stood just in between two others that were just like it; the only ones in the perimeter fence that were for civilians. The rest of the occupants of the camp stayed in the living quarters of the main building. They jogged over to her house, going in and bolting the iron shudders shut on the windows and back door. Michael stood in the front doorway looking across the site for movement. "Do you have a gun?" He asked. She shook her head 'no' and stepped out beside him. "Here," he said, giving her a small thirty eight caliber pistol. "You don't have to use it since this place is buttoned up pretty good, but just in case..." She thanked him, and held it in her right hand at her side. A group of men met in the gravel circle at the center of the settlement and talked before splitting up to defend their own separate sections that divided the settlement. A woman and two children went into the house next to her's and shut the door. Michael leaned down and hugged her. "Gotta go, kiddo. We'll get Buck back to you.. Don't worry about anything." He said, trying to assure her that everything was okay. He jogged away to the gate and climbed back on top of the trailer near the gate.

She went back inside, shut the door and pulled on a small leather strap that hung from the top of the doorway, bringing down a large iron shudder over the doorway. The only light in the house was from the small outlook slits that were cut out of the shudders. She went further into the dark room and fetched some matches out of a cabinet drawer and lit candles that were along the tops of tables and cabinets and dressers, bringing light to the home. She peeked out the window when she heard shooting from outside and screaming from the house next door. The one where the woman and children had gone into. The woman screamed, muffled by the iron and wood that surrounded her. The two children, both girls she knew from the lessons Miss Franklin had been giving four days a week, ran out the front toward the main building. The woman tumbled out as a ball of arms and legs, a human figure jumping on her and pinning her to the ground. It latching onto her neck and shook it's head violently to tear at the flesh, small sprays of blood came out on both sides of where its mouth met skin. The woman was dead in seconds; her body limp at the loss of blood. The figure got up and looked around before sprinting off. _Ugh i hope this passes by fast. Michael and Conner need to hurry up and get this place safe again. We need to find Buck!_ Anna thought to herself. She sighed. _Why couldn't Buck have just ran with me? I mean i know he was Force Recon and all, but these... things don't really look like normal people._

A group of three infected past by her window, causing her to gasp in surprise and step back from the shudders. She heard more screams out to what sounded like the main building and then screeching from around her house. It felt as if the infected, as Michael had called them, were surrounding her house and killing everyone she knew. Like she was being saved for last. The screams didn't stop. some sounded close, others sounded distant. People must have tried to run away. _God, i hope at least someone gets away._ She thought. Then, after one final blood-curdling scream being cut short, there was silence. Anna waited in the dimly lit cabin for anything. A sound. A voice that would tell her to come out and that everything was okay. Even another scream would make her feel better than the deafening silence she was in now. A gunshot near the front door was the sound to break the silence, making her jump in fear. She shifted from foot to foot pondering whether to go outside or not, but the battle in her head wasn't stopping with reasons to go and ones to not.

 _What if those things are still out there? But what if someone needs help? What if someone's bleeding out there with no one around? But what if they get you?_ The most anguishing question then entered her mind. _What if i'm all that's left?_ The thought silenced all the others as she took hesitant steps to the front door's shudder. She peeked out the slit and looked around the center circle of the settlement. She saw a body lying near her door and two others out in the gravel circle. She knew there were more with all the screams. How many? She didn't know and she didn't want to. Moving her hands to grip the strap that came from the bottom, she pulled the heavy shudder up and into its place just inside the wall. Next, she opened the door and shut her eyes tightly when the light outside poured into the opening.

She squinted and let her eyes adjust before opening them fully. The deadly silence left her when the sound of the wind blowing through the trees came to her ears. Nothing more came as she stepped out the door and then the crunch of gravel under her feet became audible. She looked around at the settlement. Only bodies were left. No one living stood, as far as she could see. She looked towards the main building, spotting what was undoubtably Conner's body. The fence was draped with two or three bodies that were near the fence. _Guess Michael got a few of them before they got in.._ She took two more steps and then stopped abruptly halfway through the next step. There were eyes on her. She felt them on the back of her head as if whoever's eyes were boring a hole into her skull. She turned slowly gripping the small pistol in her pocket, bringing it out to her side.

Now facing her house, she didn't see anything but the black doorway that led back inside. She peered into the blackness and slowly, but eerily a figure appeared. It started taking steps towards her, the head twitching slightly as it got nearer. It entered the light and Anna started backpedaling when she saw the things muscular arms and legs that both went down to the ground. It was covered only by shredded pants that went down to its mid-thigh, revealing much of it's scars and claw marks and even bullet holes that had healed over. Its lips curved into a devilish smile and its irises went completely black as it stepped forward slow and then slower, and finally stopping mid-step. Then, like a cheetah in the plains of Africa, it sprung forward towards Anna bringing its arms up in a sudden motion that would have easily taken down a man if they hadn't been paying attention. Anna, however, saw it coming and side-stepped avoiding the charge completely and brought the pistol up. She unloaded on the monstrous being, missing a shot and then made a line up towards its head with the bullets until it clicked. She hit it once in the head, but it still didn't go down. She could see the glint of the bullet lodged in its skull before it was covered in coagulated blood like she had seen coming out of the deer earlier. She looked down at the useless weapon she now held and threw it at the creature, who instantly roared at the petty annoyance the metal object caused it when it hit its face.

Anna ran away, turning the corner of her house and going down the alley between hers and the neighboring house and turned again to move along the fence that surrounded the perimeter. The infected behemoth followed her path, gaining ground quickly. It may have been bigger and scarier, but Anna had lived here for seven years. She knew this place better and it was her one advantage that she could use. She turned the next corner of the house abruptly, sending the monstrosity sliding into the fence when it tried to make the corner. Anna then sprinted out into the circle towards the main building, only to find its front door bolted from the inside. She turned around and saw the infected spot her from across the lot. She stood, fear dominating her mind. _What do i do? Where do i go? What do i do!?_ It started after her in a dead sprint, bellowing in a deep roar as it crossed over the gravel. Time slowed. Her heartbeat became constant in her ears. The creature was in slow motion when a bright yellow streak went through its left temple and exited through the other, leaving a fine mist of blood behind. Time sped back up as it's body fell to the ground and slid a few feet before finally stopping. Anna looked around and yet again saw nothing moving. She moved towards the center of the circle looking around the settlement for movement.

The gate was opened slightly, a fire's smoke drifting across the entrance blocking anything on the other side. She watched as an injured and bleeding Buck walked through carrying his SCAR in one hand and a long serrated knife in his other. He was hunched over slightly, holding his stomach and limping as he moved towards her. Her vision became blurry with tears for the third or fourth time that day as she ran to him as he fell to his knees. She reached him and wrapped her arms tightly around him. The weapons in his hands hit the ground and the limbs in question came around Anna's torso, reciprocating the hug in full. "Don't you EVER do that to me again!" Anna said through the tears. He sighed, allowing a tear to escape from each eye and roll down his cheeks. "I'm not going anywhere." He said. Anna pulled away and looked down at his bloody body, spotting several claw and bite marks along his limbs. There was a knick taken out of his left ear and even a bite mark on his collar bone just beside his neck. Blood ran out of every wound, mixing with the infected's as it ran down and dripped to the ground. "Wha-What can i do?"

He smiled sadly at her,"There's nothing you can do. Its already in me-"

Anna sobbed. "What's in you? i heard Michael call those things infected. Are you sick? Is that what all this is?" She said, gesturing around them.

He nodded yes, taking her hands in his. He looked down at them, studying them as if it was the last time he'd feel the small soft palms. "We wanted to keep you away from the rest of the world. Maybe later we would show you when you got older, but for now we wanted to live a life without having to worry about the infected. We were gonna show you eventually, but only when you were ready. I guess, instead they showed us that we couldn't hide." he looked back up at her, another pair of tears streaking down his face and into the brown hair of his long beard. He let go of one of her hands and patted the FDNY cap on her head. "You sure have grown up, kiddo." He smiled again, showing his teeth in pride of the young lady she had become under his guidance. "I'm so proud of you." He dropped his hands to his sides and weakly grabbed his SCAR off the ground and pulled the strap over her shoulder. "There's magazines in my dresser in the house. My go-bags just beside my bed. There's enough there for you to make it to the next town. Go to Conners garage and the keys for his buggy should be hangin' up on a rack. Take 'em and get out of here. They might still be around, so hurry. I've taught you everything i could. I just hope it was en-" Anna looked down, her shoulders shaking and tears falling into her lap. "Hey," he said, putting a finger below her chin and raising it to meet his gaze. "I need you to go now. What i have to do next isn't for your eye's," He said pulling her into one last tight hug.

She pulled away, locking eyes with him. "You said you weren't going anywhere!"

"I wont, Anna. I'll always be here, watching over you. I'll always be in your memories."

"Y-You m-m-mean-" She stopped, a horrified expression coming onto her face. "You're d-dying?"

He could only shake his head yes, a catch in his throat preventing him from speaking. He shook his head, trying to get rid of the double vision he was getting as it blurred, but this only succeeded in worsening his headache. He kept his eyes closed. "Anna," she looked at him, desperately hoping that this wasn't the last time. "I need you to go. What happens next, i cant allow you to see." He said bringing his head down, his eyes veiled by the shadow of his dark green cap. He slumped, all his limbs going limp.

She scooted forward, wrapping him in one more embrace. "I love you, Buck." She said in a calm and cool voice. He tried returning the sentiment, but all that came was a whisper. He didn't want this to be the last thing she remembered so he gathered his strength, sending it all to his arms. He shakily raised them around the girl and tightened them with all his might. It was enough. She knew he was trying. "I love you, too, Anna." He said a little louder, but audible enough for Anna to hear. Tears streamed down both of their faces as she pulled away. her body only moving because it had to. He looked up at her as she walked around the corner to their house. His body once again went limp, the energy fully sapped from his body. His hand went to his chest, crawling up using his fingers and gripped the pistol in it's holster, dragging it out slowly and, even though it was light, the weight caused it to fall to the ground. His vision went black, but he raised the gun to his chin, not needing his sight to fulfill his final duty. Feeling the cold metal on his skin, he closed his darkened eyes and pulled the trigger.

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 **A/N Sorry about the past couple days! i would've had this out yesterday but my internet was out, so i couldn't publish this unfortunately. This was a pretty cool chapter to write. I know Buck is one of those really cool, badass, warrior guys that everyone likes, and i feel bad for him getting killed, but it HAS to happen for the future. I'll have Elsa's side out by Wednesday for sure. It may be out before then, but just in case i don't get to it, Wednesday is a good date. Gives me some time** **As usual, follow if you wanna get notified when i update, favorite if you enjoyed it so far, and leave a review telling me your thoughts, comments, questions, etc.. You guys n girls are awesome! Thanks for reading and i hope you enjoyed!**


	11. Chapter 11: Apex of Winter

_**Chapter XI: Apex of Winter**_

 _ **Elsa, Five Hundred Miles East, Colorado Territory**_

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The fire crackled, its wooden fuel shifting as bits of it crumbled away at the heat. Small sparks rose steadily into the sky, fading with the cool winter wind above. Elsa turned and grabbed a large stick that was at her side to stoke the embers at the epicenter of the fire, causing more of these to fly out into heavens above. Across the pit, Stephan stirred in his sleep. _Probably n_ _ightmares again._ She thought as she pulled her white winter coat around her tighter. She looked up at the clear night sky, seeing millions and millions of bright blue and white dots scattered across it in a plethora of beauty. She scooted down to lay the back of her head against the blanket covered log she was sitting on and stared up at them, wondering just how many others were looking up at them as well. _How many people actually get to enjoy things like this these days? Doesn't seem like many anymore.._ She thought to herself. They had been on the road for as long as she could remember, not ever settling down in any one place, so Elsa never really got to speak with anyone other than Stephan.

A wolf howled in the distance at the half- full moon. Elsa rose, not sure how close it was. She stood up and walked over to Stephan's sleeping form and reached down beside him to get his bolt-action hunting rifle in case something would happen. She paced slowly over to her side and leaned against a tree, looking out at the surrounding forest. The mist wasn't thick, but it was enough to hide anything that wasn't immediately in front of her. The dark forest would have been intimidating, even scary had it not been for the lightning bugs that floated around in the brush. They added a sense of security Elsa couldn't really describe, but she knew that they were there and this knowledge gave her comfort.

Stephan stirred once more, shifting from his right side to his left and then finally settling on his stomach. _He's so weird._ She chuckled to herself. At fifteen, Elsa was far more equipped mentally than anyone else her age was and her personality had matured much faster than Stephan had realized. She didn't argue or cry when others her age would or even whine when she go something she didn't want or was asked to do something. Stephan didn't mind it at all. He rather enjoyed being able to work and live with her.

Elsa watched him a moment and then turned back to the forest, scanning the scene for anything out of place. A rustle in a bush near her caught her attention, fear making her raise the gun. A few seconds later, a raccoon hobbled out and paced over to her. She sighed in relief. "What are you doing out here, little guy?" she went down to her knees, laying the rifle beside her and holding her hand out for the small animal to sniff. It accepted, sniffing it a few times and then moving forward enough for Elsa to pet it. It cooed as Elsa's hand ran over its sticky, wet back. She felt the odd sensation and raised her hand up to her face, inspecting it closely; Her palm and the insides of her fingers were red with blood. The animal didn't appear inured and instead of pulling away when she had pet it, it had actually leaned into her touch. This obviously wasn't it's blood.

She looked back up to where it had come out of the bushes, trying to see past them but failing. She didn't know what lay beyond the vegetation, but she wasn't sure she wanted to go out there to find out either, so she got up from her kneeling position and silently walked over to Stephan, who seemed to be sleeping like a rock. She nudged him with the toe of her boot and when he didn't wake, she resorted to using her hands to roll him over and shaking him wildly.

His eyes shot open. "Im up!" he shouted.

"There's something out there!" Elsa whispered. The raccoon had sat beside her. "Look at it's back. It's covered in blood!" she said frantically, looking up at him with large eyes. He picked it up, one hand going under it's stomach and examined it's back. Seeing the blood in question, his gaze turned from serious to curious as he ran his index and middle fingers over the wet fur.

"Still wet." He said. "Where'd you say he came from again?"

Elsa turned and pointed at the patch of vegetation. "Over there. He came out of those bushes and just walked up to me."

"Okay." He stood and slid the rifle out of her grasp. "I'm gonna go check it out." He walked a few steps and turned to Elsa who was still on her knees. "You comin'?"

"Oh, yeah. Right behind you." She said, standing and walking up beside him. They walked toward the brush, Elsa slowing to let Stephan get farther ahead. They went through the bush and checked the surroundings, but saw nothing. "What do you think it was?" Elsa asked.

"I'm not sure. It couldn't've been that far, though, with how fresh the blood was." he said, looking around. "Elsa, you stay here. Here," he rook a pistol out of the back of his pants waist and pushed held it out to her, "take this just in case something happens and I'm not here."

She took the pistol, feeling its weight when he had let go. She looked down at it for a second, turning it in her hands. She had only ever used the rifle before, she hadn't ever touched a pistol or automatic. When she looked back up, he was already trudging through the brush in front of them. She turned and walked through the bush that separated her from camp and resumed sitting on the log she had earlier. She scanned her surroundings, watching for movement but saw nothing until she heard Stephan grunt close by. She turned to the noise and watched Stephan limp through the branches. "What happened?" She asked, getting up to help him to a sitting position on his sleeping bag.

"I stumped my fucking toe on a root. It hurts like hell." Elsa snorted and moved back to her log, chuckling the whole time. "Its not funny!" he protested, an undertone of playfulness in his voice.

"But it is!" Elsa laughed. "I thought you were actually hurt." She looked back around to the forest. "So, did you find anything?"

"Yeah. Get your stuff packed up as quick as you can and get it in the jeep. There was a dead animal and it wasn't another animal that killed it; the bite marks were very clear that it was infected who did it."

Elsa nodded, her stomach tightening. She quickly rolled up the blanket she frequently used as a bed and tied a string around it. She tried giving the pistol back to him, but he refused saying, "You keep it. I've got another one." He reached into a pocket that was hidden under his sleeping bag and pulled out a pistol that was slightly smaller, but judging by the receiver, the bullets were larger than the one he'd given her. He smiled, obviously gloating. _Always getting the hammy downs._ She narrowed her eyes and turned, about to put it in the waist of her jeans when Stephan spoke up. "If you want it, look in the back of the jeep and up near the back seat, there should be a worn out hip holster." She went around back to check his claim and saw the holster in question. She reached in and grabbed it, pulling it towards her. The black nylon was worn and some strings of the tightly sewn fabric stuck out. Other than the minor aging, it was a decent looking holster. She bent over, keeping the holster on her hip and wrapped the nylon straps around her thigh, clipping the clasps that secured it to her leg.

While she slid the pistol in it, Stephan got up and stood looking the opposite direction. He looked through the trees that were out of Elsa's view and when she noticed him remaining still, her concern grew. She stepped over to him, passing the fire pit that was now just red and dark orange embers waiting to burn out. "Hey, what's wro-"

"Shh," he held his hand up, index finger extended. After a moment and a few heartbeats, his hand went down to point in the direction he was facing. She moved to be directly behind him and looked over his shoulder. Distant headlights shown through the branches, heading toward them at an angle. "We gotta go." He turned and went to his sleeping bag and rolled it up. Elsa stood where she was, watching him frantically tying a string around it. "You just gonna stand there and watch?"

She scoffed and went to the jeep, pulling the pine branches that were an attempt at keeping the plain white vehicle hidden off the front of it and then opened the passenger door, waiting for Stephan to get finished packing up. He threw it in the back and shut the tailgate and then got into the driver's side along with Elsa, who got in as soon as he opened his door. She heard the sound of the key being turned and then the engine come on, causing the jeep to hum just slightly under their weight. Stephan clicked off the headlights and pulled out onto a narrow dirt path that led back to a road that would take them through a valley and, hopefully, would secure their route back to one of Stephan's safe houses.

The jeep rocked and shook as they went over the uneven dirt, often hitting dips and rises that most other vehicles couldn't handle. "Here, find where we are and let me know where the nearest safe house is. We'll stop there and settle down again for a few days." He handed Elsa a folded map of the United States.

Elsa opened it and looked around where they were last and found the circled red dot that he had marked as a safe house. The dot was the only one in the area for around a hundred miles, so it made sense that it was their first destination in the area. "Take a left up here and follow the highway down into a valley. It should be on the West side of the river, so it'll be on our side when we get there." She folded the map and stuck it in her breast pocket.

"And that's why you're the navigator." He chuckled to himself.

She chuckled herself, "What would you do without me?" She smiled at him

They came to a opening in the trees and there in front of them, slightly covered in overgrowth, was the road they were looking for. Stephan turned left, heading down at slight angle and sped up to around sixty miles an hour. If he was right, they'd be in the valley by dusk, which was only in an hour or so.

- _pop-_ They heard from behind them. "What was that?" Elsa asked. Stephan reached up and adjusted the rearview mirror. "I don't kn-"- _pop-_

The noise was getting louder. Elsa looked out the window and behind them for anything that could have fallen loose, but found nothing. She looked on the road that they traversed and also found nothing that could have fallen off. It was only when she looked in the distance behind them that she saw what it could be. The headlights from earlier were gaining on them and off to the side of one pair, there was a flash followed by the popping sound they had heard soon after.

She gasped when a plume of dirt and bits of rock went up in her face as a bullet struck the ground in front of them. Stephan sped up, making the engine roar louder. Elsa put her head back against the seat's headrest and tried her hardest to control her heartbeat before it burst out of her chest. "Those headlights we saw earlier.. they're behind us now." she looked over at Stephan who had a calm look on his face but was concentrated on the road. "They're _shooting_ at us, Stephan. What are we gonna do!?"

"Stay in your seat and stay calm. Don't lose it, Elsa. Conceal your fear. Don't feel it." He said, still focused on the road. His eyes shifted to the mirrors and back again.

Elsa looked out her mirror. "They're getting closer!" She said as the mirror was shot off. Whoever it was chasing them was within a hundred meters and gaining on them. The jeep swerved from side to side, trying avoid the incoming fire. The two occupants both heard an explosion and the jeep started to rumble more than it had ever before and before they knew what had happened, it's front end went straight down into the ground, flipping it entirely over. It started to roll down the hill that they had just crested when it slammed into a bus that was burned out, blocking both lanes. Elsa's vision blurred, her head slowly moving from side to side trying to get back to reality. She felt Stephan shake her into consciousness.

"-sa, wake up!" He whispered. She felt him unclasp her seatbelt. "Climb through that window and hide in the bus. They're just outside and they're coming." She looked at him and shook her head slightly, clearing up the distortion of her view. She reached up, grasped the window frame and pulled herself through, avoiding the broken glass of the jeep's window. She knelt in the window to help Stephan through. He tossed the rifle that was in the back to her and undid his seatbelt, turning to climb out himself. He was stopped by his window getting busted in."No!" he yelled in protest to the hands that came in grabbing at him. The hands took a hold of his arms and shoulders, pulling him through the window and onto the outside. Elsa moved over to another window to get a better view.

Two men dragged a resistant Stephan to the middle of the road where four or five vehicles were parked and a woman who stood in the center. Her black hair was tied back in a loose ponytail, letting her bangs frame her face. She was very fit from what Elsa could see. She wore a black leather jacket and a white tank top under it that showed her toned, tattooed mid-rift that lead down to worn out jeans and then further to black combat boots. Stephan was held down n front of her by the two who had drug him from the jeep and now his head was being pulled back by his hair. Elsa couldn't hear what they were saying, but from the way Stephan's face got red, it wasn't good. He yelled back at them, earning a slap across the face. Tears started to well in Elsa's eyes as she watched the scene unfold. She had to hold them back. For Stephan.

He yelled at her once again, but this time one of the men punched him in the back of his head. He looked up at the woman once again and stayed silent. Elsa knew she was getting the thousand yard stare from him at this very moment.

Elsa quickly moved back over to the window she had climbed into the bus from and grabbed the rifle that had made it through the window and pushed the bolt up and pulled back, an unspent round falling to the floor. She pushed it back forward and locked it down and grabbed the round that had come out. She moved to the front of the bus, stuffing the bullet into her jacket pocket, and aimed through the window at the four figures. The center of the crosshair went over the woman's head, straight between her eyes and stayed. In the corner of the scope's view she saw the two men back away, so she shifted focus back to Stephan. He was hunched over, his head low and arms dangling to the ground below.

The woman stepped forward and backhanded him, sending him backwards onto his stomach. Elsa could see his face now and how bruised it was. Anger and hatred boiled in her heart and she grit her teeth together, still watching as he opened his eyes. Her hand went to cover her mouth and eyes filled with the sting of tears as she watched Stephan look straight at her and shake his head 'no'. She tried stifling her sobs behind the hand and looked on as Stephan's eyes motioned towards the other car and trucks that surrounded him.

The woman got into the car and sped off as one of the two men returned to Stephan and sat him back up on his knees. His head hung low once more and the man brought his hands behind his back. The man's body blocked Elsa's view of what it was he was doing until he moved. She saw the glint of metal and then the circular shape of cuffs around his wrists. The second man came out and the two exchanged glances. When the first had gone back to one of the vehicles the second man reached down and grabbed the cuffs, forcing Stephan to his feet and pushing him towards a nearby truck.

One last time, Stephan looked over his shoulder at her, the look of defeat had vanished. He smiled at her. It was the kind of smile that said 'goodbye.' The kind of smile that parents give to their kids when they leave them for their first day of school. The man that led Stephan forced him into the back of a truck, practically slamming him into the bed as he opened the door. He shut the door and got into the drivers seat, starting it and pressing on the gas, leaving black clouds of smoke that came out of the exhaust. Two of the other trucks followed, but a jeep, white like theirs, but more built for speed and climbing than carrying loads, stayed.

Elsa shifted the rifle to aim at the last remaining truck, but couldn't see through he heavily tinted windshield. Only moments later, the driver side door opened, revealing the small, lanky form of a human male. He slowly mad his way over to their jeep and opened the rear passenger door and sifted through the back seat, bringing something out when he stood out of the wrecked vehicle. Elsa looked closer and saw it was Stephan's sleeping back that he had thrown in. She looked to see if there were any more that exited the scavenger's jeep, but when none came, she focused on him. She could have just shot him and took his keys and left, but Stephan had taught her better than that.. even though she knew his friends most certainly deserved a worse demise. The front folding door of the bus came open and she exited, following the edge of the bus to the corner and coming out once the scavenger had his head in the wreckage once again.

"Keys. Now." She demanded. For a fifteen year old, her voice was as piercing as a twenty year old's. Her eyes stared daggers at the man as he turned towards her slowly and hesitantly.

"Wow, now. There's no need for the gun." his voice trembled, whether with fear or with excitement, Elsa couldn't tell. "Just put it down and maybe we can talk about this, alright?" his tongue ran along his lower lip as he started moving to Elsa's left; she kept the rifle's sights trained on his forehead as he did. She followed his movements, and soon, they were going in a circle. He stopped, quickly pulling out a long and fat Bowie knife out of a shin sheath.

"Or maybe you can hand over your keys and i can drive away." Elsa said. "You can take mine if you like." she said, motioning towards the wrecked jeep behind him. He looked back at it, and scoffed.

She pulled the trigger. A large boom followed and it jerked up, but she missed her mark, hitting the man in the shoulder and the knife dropped. She jacked another round into the chamber and raised it back while she heard the man yelling and cursing over his new wound.

"Ah! You stupid fucking _bitch_! Goran's gonna hear about this. He's gonna find yuh. Oh, he'll find yuh... and your family, too." When Elsa didn't falter, he continued, "He'll tie you down and force you to watch as he rapes your momma and your sisters and slit their throats." He stopped for a moment and snarled when Elsa's glare over the barrel of the rifle held like stone. "Then he'll gut your brothers in front of yuh and save you for last. But he ain't gonna kill you. He'll hold you for as long as he can without killing you, raping you day in and day out and beating yuh, oh, he'll have fun with you."

She felt her hair blow in a slightly cool, but welcomed breeze that graced over her sweaty hands and face. "He'll probably save one of your sister's an-" a shot cut him off as the bullet went through his mouth and out the back of his neck. He fell to the ground, gagging on the blood that now cascaded into his mouth and out onto the ground. Elsa walked over to stand over him. She gave him a look of disgust and moved to sift through his pockets, finding the keys that she wanted. She stood back up and saw that the man had passed. His eyes were looking up to the sky and his messy long brown hair spread out in all directions from his scalp. She walked away from him, not looking back. One name remained on her mind as she stepped into the jeep and started it, stepping on the gas pedal. Goran. She turned the jeep in the direction of the safehouse they were previously heading to and sped away from the crash, leaving a trail of dust in her wake.

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 **A/N This chapter was everywhere with me. I didn't know what i was gonna write one day and then the next there was a little inspiration, so if something doesn't make very much sense, let me know. I'll fix it so it will. As usual, favorite if you liked it, follow if you wanna get notified when i update, and leave a review! I can't thank you enough! Thanks guys!**


	12. Chapter 12: When Stars Collide

**A/N so this is gonna be short.. i just realized that FF wasn't showing my chapter Titles so i'm gonna edit my chapters real quick and put those in! Enjoy!**

 _ **Chapter XII: When Stars Collide**_

 _ **Two years later**_

She huffed in annoyance at the tire tracks she had been tracking for miles split into two directions. A group of three sets went Northeast and then there was a single solemn pair of marks that split off and went directly South. It was frustrating, really, having tracked them all this time just to have them split off.

 _Which do i follow? And what if i choose the wrong one?_

A lower voice deep in her conscience told her exactly what would happen.

 _Stephan dies if you don't pick the right one, you fool!_

She thought for a few moments, thinking about the possibilities of which one it could be and, ultimately couldn't come up with a reason not to follow the group.

 _Maybe they sent off a scout.. That means the rest have to still be going back to their camp._

She strode confidently back to her jeep and got in, turning the key and making the vehicle sputter back to life.

 _Damn it.. almost outta gas._ She thought as she looked at the gauge that was teetering over the 'empty' mark.

She sighed and put it into drive, bringing the lumbering vehicle up to sixty miles an hour and following the multiple tire tracks down the dirt road. She looked ahead, seeing a bad sign.. pavement

 _Damn it! How am i gonna track them now!?_ She thought as she pulled up to the 'T' junction with the road. Thankfully, though, there were dirt trails that the tires had left from the wet mud that were heading left. They slowly faded a bit further down the paved road, but it was a start.

 _Yes! I'm coming Stephan.. just hold in there._ Elsa floored the gas pedal and peeled out, going the direction that they pointed.

 _ **30 Miles Away, Goran's Camp**_

Anna woke up on her cot again, uncomfortable and cold in the morning air that permeated the servant's tent. The thin brown blanket that covered her did little to keep the cold from biting at the exposed portions of her freckled skin. Her eyes slowly and groggily opened and looked around the dull interior and other cots occupied by the other servants who were curled up in a tight ball, trying to keep warm. She looked over at the new comer, _Steven I think?_ He had come in a week or two ago when a scavenging patrol had came in from a long ride out.

She sat up, hissing slightly and instinctively reached back to the stinging from the lashes on her back. One or two of them had split open and begun bleeding, but had healed shut recently, giving the grey t shirt she wore a few red lines on it's back. She turned to the side and dangled her feet off the edge, wincing as she went from the bruises and scratches all over her that burned in pain. Only her toes touched the grass floor of the tent while both of her hands gripped the cot to either side of her legs, both tensing and relaxing at random intervals.

 _Soo.._ She mentally sighed, _what's the agenda today? Another lashing, or are they just gonna beat me again._ She thought, feeling utterly hopeless as her eyes stared blankly at the ground.

"Psst! Anna.. are you okay?" a kind woman's voice came to her ears from her left.

She turned her head and smiled small, seeing it was Gerda, the eldest and sweetest of the servant's. Most of the servants hadn't given a thought to the redhead new-comer when she was brought in back when Anna was only fifteen. She had been starving and the men that brought her in had beaten her nearly into unconsciousness for trying to steal a can of soup. When was shoved into the servants quarters, Gerda was the one who took care of her. She bandaged her wounds and even gave her half of her own daily rations so Anna could gain the weight that had obviously been lost from her body.

"I'll be okay. Thank you, Gerda." Gerda smiled back and got up, hobbling over to sit next to her. "Hows your back?" She asked as she plopped down next to Anna.

"it still kinda hurts.. but it's getting better."

"Do you need me to look at it again? I know Goran whipped you longer than any of us ever had been. More times too." She looked at Anna with pity. "I mean six times?! That's more than i've seen anyone get this kind of treatment."

Anna turned her attention back to the grass that was below her bare feet. "I know." She felt the warm wetness of a tear roll down her cheek. "I think he's hated me ever since i got here. Do you know how many times I've planned out escaping this hell?"

Gerda saw the lone tear streaking down the young girls face. "Oh, i know dear. I know. I was there once a long time ago. But then i realized i wouldn't still be alive if i weren't here. It may look bad from the outside, but we're making it, right?" The elderly woman wrapped an arm around Anna's shoulder.

"But that's just it, Gerda. I don't wanna be here, just 'making it.'" She stood up and turned to face the woman. "I wanna be out there! Free and away from this place and doing whatever i want with whoever i want."

Gerda chuckled,"Quite the ambitious one, aren't you."

"Yes! I've stayed in this hellhole long enough! I've been beaten, whipped and chained up," Anna's voice cracked at the last few words. "This is _not_ ,"she emphasised the word by forcing her hand down, slapping her outer thigh, "a life i deserve," She said, starting to pace back and forth in front of Gerda. "Or anyone, for that matter. No one deserves to be chained up and beaten and miserable."

"If only a knight in shining armor could come and whisk us away.." Gerda said and then sighed as she got up and faced Anna who was playing with the end of one of her braids.

"If only.." Anna looked back up again with new streaks of tears that ran down her cheeks. She hadn't meant to release them, but they had came anyway.

"oh, dear, don't cry. Yo-"

"Anna!" A low demanding voice interrupted from outside the tent making Anna's eyes dart up to meet Gerda's which were filled with worry. "Go! Before he gets angry!" Gerda said, shooing Anna to go out the tent.

Anna walked out on the green and plush grass heading towards the sound of where the voice had come. A large burly bald man with a grey beard in a white t-shirt and jeans stood in front of a truck, waiting for her with several of his men behind him. "I heard you didn't enjoy our little session yesterday." He showed a sly grin and lifted his head up to look down at her. "Care to elaborate?"

"How about you take a look at my fucking back. Let that explain it for yo-" A crack of a slap went across her face.

"You wanna answer that again? Nicely?"

She looked at him defiantly as she said her next words through gritted teeth. "Fine. How about you _please_ take a look at my _fucking back_ so i don't have to explain it to your pea sized brain." She only had a second of comfort when his fist connected with her other cheek, sending her to the ground. She used her elbow to raise up slightly and stopped there for a moment to catch her breath. Her fiery red hair surrounded her vision as she looked down at the green grass.

"What's wrong? You all outa energy?" Goran said as he leaned down to her level.

"I'm fine." Anna mumbled so low he couldn't hear her.

He grabbed a hold of her hair and jerked her up to her feet. "I'm sorry, I couldn't hear you." He pulled it back further, causing her to groan. "Why don't you say it a little louder."

"I said," she sighed,"I'm fine."

"Good." he released her and smoothed out her shirt that had gotten bits of grass on it. "Now.." He took a few steps back, "how about we answer my question, hmm?" He looked at her expectantly.

She still looked at him as if she were saying she was going to kill him. Then an idea popped in her head. Instead of the scowl she had been wearing, a vicious smile had appeared on her face. "I loved it Goran. Absolutely loved it."

"Perfect. I ju-"

"And I'm sure Francis and Ben over there did, too! In fact,-"

"Alright, Anna, that's eno-"

"Don't all your men have to go through shit around here? They're like us servants!"

"Anna-"

Anna ignored Goran completely, looking behind him to the large group of men who were part of his so-called army. "You guys get the exact same thing we do, do you not?! While this overprivileged motherfucker gets everything you bring-"

Goran looked back towards the men, anger mounting in his face. "Anna!" he screamed at her.

She couldn't care less and didn't budge. "All because he's too much of a pussy to do it himse-" The back of Goran's hand smacked Anna's face, leaving a large red mark on her cheek.

"Shut up!" He picked her up by her neck "You know what your problem is? You just don't know when to stop talking." He threw her to the ground and bent over so she could hear him. "You'd think you would have learned by now." He stood back up and walked away. "Boys! Take care of the loudmouth."

 _ **400 Yards Away From Goran's Camp**_

Elsa looked through a pair of worn binoculars that she had found in the back seat of her jeep over a small dirt hill that overlooked the entire camp. The camp's lights in front of her were hard to miss when she made the final turn and fumbled to turn off her headlights, but just when she did, the vehicle died and rolled to a stop. _There goes my way out.. i guess we're just gonna have to improvise from here._ She watched through the lenses, seeing several tent's and searchlights moving around the outside at timed intervals. She could do this. _I can do this!_ She psyched herself up mentally while watching the guards patrolling the camp's perimeter.

She got up from her prone position and walked back to the jeep, retrieving her pack and An M4 she had picked up from a soldier a long time ago. _He wasn't going to be needing it any time soon._ She pulled the strap of her pack over her shoulder and slinging her rifle over her chest. _Okay, here we go.._

She heard her heartbeat in her ears as she started running towards a jack-knifed truck that was near the camp. The lights just barely reached it and when she got there, panting, she noticed that some of the guards had stopped patrolling and had joined into a group near one of the lights that was moving in front of Elsa. She felt the sweat beading on her forehead in the cool Autumn wind, her muscles burning from the run that she wasn't used to doing.

Her heart pounded as she waited for the light to pass and snuck low across the final stretch into camp. As she got closer, however, she realized that the group of guards weren't just talking like she had thought. In the middle of them all, she could see a body on the ground and they were.. beating the person. Elsa's face contorted disgust as she got closer. She looked at the balled up body and saw red hair but also the torn clothes and even spotted a single lash mark on the girl's back. At this point, Elsa didn't think before she reacted when she raised the rifle to bear on the entire group.

In an instant, the world went white as she pulled the trigger. All she saw was red as the entire magazine of thirty rounds was emptied into the bodies. Blood was a constant mist that hung over the spot where they once stood, and flailing limbs were all that were left. The four or five so-called men now lay on the ground either gasping for their final breaths or already gone from the torrent of bullets that peppered their bodies. Elsa held the trigger down, even though the mag was empty and she didn't realize it. Reality finally came back to her and she looked at the clicking sound and, seeing the empty weapon, she replaced it's magazine with a full one and clicked the receiver back into place.

Around her, she heard movement and men yelling, spooked by the gunfire. She didn't pay attention to it, however, and ran directly to the body that was still lying in the center of the slaughter that had just taken place. She slid down onto her knees and quickly grabbed the girl's right arm, put it around her neck and picked her up. Elsa didn't realize that the girl was unconscious until she felt the full weight of her limp body against her a few steps into her impromptu rescue. She stopped mid-pace and looked around for a place to hide.

"It's alright, I've got you." She said to the unconscious girl and frantically scanned around them.

There was a wooden building at the center of the camp that was standing on cinder blocks and wooden blocks at its corners. _That'll have to do,_ Elsa thought as she re-slung the rifle and moved the arm that wasn't holding the redhead under the girl's legs and picked her up, her head lulling onto her chest. That was when she saw the bruises and cuts on the girl's face. There were blood trails running down her nose and even lines where tears had trailed down her cheeks, making Elsa furious that anyone would do this to such a beautiful girl. She ran as fast as she could, not paying mind to the emerging army of men that came from the tents and trucks that made up the camp.

She felt someone's arms surrounding her, keeping her safe. Helping her. _Who would help me? I'm just a servant to monsters.._ She opened her eyes a tiny amount and felt her cheek rubbing up and down against the soft fabric of a sweatshirt she didn't recognize. She opened her eyes a little more, seeing that she was being carried and the person's long platinum blonde, almost white hair that was draped over their shoulder. she brought her hand up shakily running a hand over it. It felt so surreal, almost like a dream with how soft it was. Then she froze at the knowledge that she basically just caressed whoever was carrying her's breast. She blushed lightly and brought her hand up and over the person's shoulder.

 _Well, someone's awake.._ Elsa thought as she felt a hand run over her messy plait. They finally reached the building and she carefully lowered the girl to the ground, pushing her under the building as she crawled in to lay beside her. She unslung her rifle and prepared for the unexpected. _If anyone looks down here, they're dead._

Anna opened her eye's again, looking beside her to a angelic woman, the likes of which she had never seen before. The platinum blonde hair she had seen earlier now in full detail. She laid beside Anna with a rifle pointed out in the direction of lights that peered in and out of their tight-spaced sanctuary.

Her mouth was dry when she tried to speak and instead, only made a mumbling sound. The blonde had heard her, though, and was now looking at her with concern.

"Shhh, you're safe for now." Anna heard as she felt a hand brush a lock of her disheveled hair behind her ear. She felt a single tear run down the length of her nose and drip off to the grass that was under them. The blonde scooted closer and cupped her cheek, wiping away the next one that came with her smooth thumb. She closed her eyes and let the feeling of contact take over her senses. It was the softest hand she had ever felt, and the warmest, too. She didn't want it to ever leave her. But it was gone too soon. Her vision went blurry and she every sound was muffled as she saw the hand retract back to hold the woman's rifle. Anna heard herself whimper at the lost contact, not wanting it to leave her. Her vision blurred to an extent that she could barely make anything out but flashes of yellow light that sporadically came from where the blonde was. Instead of the pounding sound of the rifle's report, she only heard a light thudding as she slipped back into unconsciousness.

Elsa looked into bright teal eyes that were barely opened as she wiped away a tear that came down her cheek. In that moment, she felt.. _something._ Something that she had never felt before. But before she could think anything more of it, the sound of men yelling and running around outside of their hiding spot came into focus. She returned her view to down the sights of her rifle and lining them up on the nearest of the goons that she assumed would have the most chance of finding them. She knew it was only a matter of time before they were found. _Better to ambush and surprise them than be found and have to surrender. They'd probably kill me anyway. I already killed five of them so.._ She squeezed the trigger, setting a round off towards its target and hitting him just above the left eyebrow.

She moved the barrel left and let off another three rounds into a tight group of men that were looking around confused as to where the shots were coming from. The two in front fell immediately as the bullets struck them and only the third stood, dumbstruck when he saw his comrades fall. Elsa wasn't sure if he'd seen where she was, but she didn't care when she pulled the trigger twice more, sending a round in his chest and another into his right eye socket.

After two others had been dispatched, the men had found their hiding spot and began firing at them, sending dirt and grass into Elsa's face. She didn't care about conservation anymore as she let loose with the fully automatic weapon. She held the trigger down, spewing the remaining twenty or so rounds at the men who were firing at her. She slid the empty magazine out and grabbed one of the spares off the back of her bag and jammed it into the well, clicking the button to release the receiver back into place again. She looked over to Anna, who had passed out again. _Don't you worry. I'll get you out of here in no time._

She looked back out to the open kill zone and jerked when a round struck the cinder block just next to her, sending shards and bits of cement in her face. She gasped when a hand grasped the end of the barrel, but instead of letting it go, it held tight and pulled. Elsa only did what she thought would make her win. She pulled the trigger and held it down until the hand released. It only took four rounds, but the hand was gone and a new body that had far less of a head now lay in front of their hole, providing extra cover for her and the girl. She propped the weapon on top of the dead man's chest and looked out again.

There was no movement for sometime. Not even wind. There was only silence and the distant whimpering of a woman somewhere deeper in the camp. Elsa turned around and kicked the body away, far enough to where she could climb out. She then brought her rifle out and, when she had made sure the coast was clear, slung it over her shoulder while she got the redhead out from under the building. She resumed her carrying of the girl in her arms and turned to move, but there in front of her stood a behemoth of a man. His grey beard spread apart with a devilish grin. "You've caused quite a disturbance in our little corner of the world." he said as he took a step closer to her. He pulled out a buck knife from a sheath on his belt and showed his yellowed teeth further in a disgustingly joyful smile.

Elsa's face showed nothing but disdain for the man. She could tell something was about to happen and her mind was racing to come up with a solution to keep the girl in her arms as safe and unharmed as possible when a loud grunt followed by a yell came from behind the large man. he turned his attention back to see an elderly woman beating one of his men with a shovel and when he didn't turn around fast enough, he didn't see Elsa had gently placed Anna far enough away, to where she was out of danger and reached behind her to un-holster a small sawed off pump action shotgun. She brought it up and pulled the trigger on first the right henchman of the Greybeard and then the left, giving them both large red pits in their chest filled with lead.

She then turned her attention to the man in the middle. "So i assume you are Goran, right?" She asked, still aiming the weapon at him.

When he didn't answer, she became impatient. "You seem like the douchebag I've been dealing with.. so I'll take that as a yes." She said and soon after, she pulled the trigger, all but severing his right arm off. She did the same to his left and watched as he fell back onto the ground, his shoulders a bundle of minced and shredded flesh.

He screamed in agony, but she didn't pay him any mind when she walked up to him. "This is what you deserve, you _prick!"_ She exclaimed as she kicked one of his sides. Her anger boiled when she thought of the redhead and then Stephan and all the other possible people he had hurt. He was still crying out in pain and barely had the mental capacity to talk over the pain he was feeling.

She looked at him with a burning hatred that she hadn't known was possible, but was there, none the less. She brought the gun up with one hand, and with one final shot, she ended the man's life, splintering his skull into fragments on the ground beneath him.

"Hey," Anna opened her eyes only to stare up at the blonde who had rescued her. "Can you hear me?" She heard the angel's voice ask.

She shook her head 'yes' and tried to sit up, using her elbow to push off of, but only stopped at her elbow. Before she could plop back down onto the ground, however, a pale smooth arm went under her and lifted her up to sit in the grass. "Are you okay?" The feeling came back with the hand that graced over her cheek again. She felt like she couldn't speak, so she nodded instead and brought her own hand up to hold the hand in place.

The next thing they heard was an older woman's voice coming from behind them. "Phew!" she said, walking up to them. "Sure does take some of the stress out of these old bones.. I can honestly say that i never thought about taking a shovel to one of those arrogant boys." She chuckled as she got to her knees with Elsa and Anna.

She was surprised when old woman sat next to her and chuckled. "We still have to get out of here! The patrols will be back soon and there will be more of them!" She said.

"There are more of you?" Elsa asked, surprise evident on her face.

"Yes, dear! In that tent over there!" she said, pointing towards a long olive green tent at other side of the camp. "Oh, poor Anna." the woman looked down at the redhead with pity which quickly turned to anger. "I'm glad you took those bastards out. They've been doing this sort of thing long enough.."

"Well, now you're free," She looked down at Anna,"and so is she." Elsa smiled genuinely at the older woman"Okay.. uhm.." Elsa thought for a moment until an idea popped in her head. "Where do they keep the gas at?!"

"That truck over there." the lady said pointing to a fuel truck that stood near the road that ran along the camp's perimeter.

Elsa nodded, a polite grin had grown on her face,"Gather everyone up and get them to pile into whatever vehicles you can. Then i want you all to follow me when i get some fuel to my jeep."

She rose up and helped Anna to her feet, holding her opposite shoulder from behind her and the elbow closest to her for support. "in fact, we could just bring the fuel truck along with us. We'll probably need it later." Elsa said. The elder woman looked at her for a moment and then away, and started towards the tent. Moments later, the now-free servants filed out, and crowded into the trucks and other vehicles the Warlord known as Goran had used to run down innocent travelers with. Elsa led the redhead to a truck and helped her in, and then got in herself. The vehicles were now on the road in a column of five vehicles, including the fuel truck. Elsa felt weight of the girls head on her shoulder and she put an arm around her, pulling her warmth closer to her body. _I don't even know you, and I'm completely comfortable with you. Is comfort even the feeling i have right now? it feels.. warmer than that. Heavier._ She thought as they pulled up to her jeep like she had instructed them to.

After ten minutes of hooking up the fuel line, filling the tank fully and then unhooking the line, they were off, heading directly South.

 _ **Two days later, Just outside Old Orleans**_

The convoy of vehicles came to a stop at a sign just outside the ruins of a city that once had prospered in the height of the once wealthy nation. None of them knew that but the older generations and of course Anna and Elsa who had been educated on the road with whatever textbooks they had. Anna still had her adoptive father's Geography textbook in her bag that she had kept hidden in the camp. _I still never finished that thing.._ she thought when she remembered putting it in her go-bag before leaving her and Buck's home.

The sign in front of them had once read 'New Orleans' but now the 'New' had been covered with red paint and over it in black spray paint was the word 'Old.'

Elsa looked over in her passenger seat that was now clean, along with the rest of the vehicle, at the quiet, almost asleep redhead. _Anna.._ She smiled remembering what the elderly woman had said. _She's so beautiful. And her name is perfect._ The smile turned toothy as she thought to herself. It then fell when she remembered the older woman who knew her. _She's probably got family._ She mentally sighed. _I just hope we will meet again someday.._

She turned down an offramp that lead the convoy down into the center of the resurrecting city and into a square where they all stopped. Elsa got out and went to the passenger side. She opened the door and smiled when Anna was staring straight at her. "Hey sleepy head," Elsa studied the younger girls face for any sign of pain. Elsa had cleaned the blood that had dried on Anna's face and she marveled at the perfection that sit in front of her. "How are you feeling?"

Anna winced and groaned lightly when she tried to move and stopped after she had turned her legs to face out of the door. If Elsa moved any further, she would be between them, but neither noticed while Elsa checked on her. "I don't feel so good," was the first thing she said while she brought her arms across her stomach.

Elsa's face turned to concern immediately after she heard the words and placed her hands on both the girl's knees in an attempt to comfort her. "Where does it hurt?"

"Mmm.." she groaned,"Everywhere." Gerda walked over to them and looked over Anna's pained form sitting sideways in the car's seat.

"Are you alright, dear?"

"I'm fine, Gerda. Really! I'm okay."

"As long as you feel okay, the-"

She was interrupted by Elsa who had gasped and was now holding both her hands over her mouth and nose. Tears were visible in her eyes as she walked away from the two and started jogging towards a man that stood still as a stone until Elsa was only feet away. They both clasped eachother's arms in disbelief and then one wrapped their arms around the other and they stayed that way for a long moment. Anna looked at them with a reserved grin, knowing that she probably wasn't ever going to see her blonde savior again because whoever this guy was was going to steal her away. _What am i talking about?! I don't even know her name! It's not like i had a chance anyways. She's just too perfect for a person like me.._ The smile had dropped and in it's place came a completely neutral expression that didn't show any of her feelings. After a few seconds of silence, she jumped when she heard the angelic voice that she had heard minute's earlier.

"Hey," Elsa stopped in front of her.

"Hey, you." Anna smiled nervously. _You aren't good enough. You definitely aren't good enough._

Elsa smiled back, but soon, she was looking down with a sad expression. Anna got a bad feeling when she saw it. "The other's are all taking off soon and, well.. so am i."

"Oh." Was all Anna said as she mirrored Elsa and looked down, feeling the same pinprick that Elsa did in her heart. Anna looked up, hurt, but still keeping her composure. "I never got your name by the way."

"Oh, right. I must have forgot." She giggled,"It's Elsa."

 _God, even her name sounds angelic! "_ Wow," Anna said without thinking. A bright red blush crept across her freckled cheeks, "Uhh.. You didn't hear that, right?" She winced and clasped her hands together tightly in her lap with embarrassment.

Elsa couldn't help but laugh at the redhead's awkward ways. "Only if you wanted me to." She smiled fondly at Anna.

 _God, you are so freakin' perfect!_ Anna giggled nervously while she looked back down and hoped for the blush to dissipate.

"Elsa!" They both heard from behind Elsa. She turned to a short, thinned man with short brown hair and an equally brown beard on his face.

"Hey, Stephan!" She said, turning fully around. "What's up?"

"I just need to talk to you for a second. It's kind of important."

"Okay, I'll be right there." She turned back to Anna, who was watching her expectantly. "I'll be right back, okay?"

Anna's heart fluttered at the reassurance. She only nodded her head that she understood.

She looked down and missed the touch of the smooth, cream white skin that was on her leg. _Get a hold of yourself Anna! You_ just _met her!_ She thought as she watched Elsa and the man talk. When her eyes reached them, she was shocked to see the man staring at her from over Elsa's shoulder while she was talking. His eyes looked as if they were as wide as they could be without falling out of his head.

 _Wait.. is that...? No, no. It can't be. She died a long time ago. It's just a different girl. Besides, you felt yourself! Her pulse was faint and there was nothing you could do. Get that out of your mind, Stephan!_ He turned his attention back to Elsa.

"So then i followed them to the camp and then proceeded to save all your butts," Elsa explained to Stephan.

"I'm so proud of you, Elsa. And my goodness," he said stepping back. "You've grown into a stunning young woman."

A light blush came over her face as she thanked him and faded as soon as it had came.

His face went completely serious all of a sudden. "I said i had something important i needed to tell you." Elsa nodded, letting him know she was listening. "Well, I talked to others and they hardly have anything. They'll need me pretty soon when they head out; the ones that aren't staying anyways"

"So-..."

"So, I'm gonna stay with them."

Elsa's face lit up with joy at the news.

"But not you."

"That's gre- wait, what!?" Her expression conveyed the confusion that she felt.

"I talked with the others about you and her," he said nodding at Anna over her shoulder,"and we all agreed." He looked at her with something resembling guilt. "You take her and you go. Don't look back. Go out there n you make a name for yourselves. You won't be anything if you remain here."

Tears welled in Elsa's eyes. "But I-I.. I just found you."

"I know you did, and," he brought her head down onto his shoulder and wrapped his arms around her," I couldn't be any more proud of you, Elsa." He broke away looking into her eyes that quickly went to the ground. "You survived out there for _years,_ Elsa. Not many can say they've done that. And all you needed was something to work towards." He looked over her shoulder at Anna, "And now you have another." he said and crossed his arms, smiling knowingly at the blonde. "The both of you need to go and live your own lives. We don't want you held down here

Elsa wiped her tears away and sniffled her now runny nose. She straightened her back, knowing she had to not only be strong for herself, but also for _Anna._ Just her name gave her a warm feeling inside. She looked behind her and saw the redhead had gotten out and was hugging Gerda and had been talked to about the same subject she had been. Elsa turned back to Stephan, who had a solitary tear that ran down his cheek and into his beard.

Elsa gasped and quickly wrapped her arms around him, feeling his back shake and a ticklish kiss on her cheek just before he let go.

"You both take care of eachother." he said.

She nodded, "I will." She said as she started back-stepping. "You take care of these people." He smiled wholeheartedly at her.

"You know i will." he said, pulling his blue and white paramedic jacket on.

"I love you." she said stopping near the jeep.

If anything, his smile got wider. "I love you, too"

Anna watched the two talk a small distance in front of her. Then she heard Gerda step up beside her. "Well, while he's got her attention i suppose i should tell you the same." she looked down to the ground and when her eyes came back up, there were tears that streaked down her face. "All of us are going to stay here and see if we can make it." The corners of her mouth wobbled up into a sad smile. "but you're going out there," she turned to look at Elsa who still had her back turned, "with her." She smiled and turned back to Anna and was almost pushed. to the ground when Anna practically leaped on her with a tight' squeezing hug.

"I'm gonna miss you, Gerda." Anna said into her cloth covered shoulder.

"I'll miss you, too, child." She let her tears out.

"Hey," She pulled away and looked at Gerda, "It's what I've been wishing for for a long time and, for the first time in forever, my wish has come true!" she said, pulling away.

"You'll have to look after eachother, no matter how bad it gets out there. But from the looks you gave eachother already, i can tell that won't be a problem." Gerda smirked, making Anna blush and look away in embarrassment.

"Yeah. I just hope that she feels the same way." Anna looked over at Elsa who was hugging the man that she had called Stephan.

"I don't think you'll have to worry about that. She looked after you ever since Goran's camp and hasn't left your side once. Come to think of it, I haven't been able to get close to you because she was being so greedy with you!"

Anna snickered. "Really? So all this," she motioned at her arms and spots of her legs that were now bandaged,"was all her?"

Gerda nodded 'yes',"Mhmm. I didn't have a hand in any of it."

"Wow. I guess I know she cares about me then." Anna smiled weakly and looked over to her savior. She was done talking to the man and was heading towards the jeep they were at.

"It's time for you to go, dear." Gerda choked a sob. "Oh, I'm going to miss you." She reached her arms out wide, motioning for Anna to give her one last hug before she left.

Anna reached her arms around the woman, tightening them and holding her there for a few moments before they let go.

"Goodbye, Anna," Gerda said just before she let out a sob.

"Gerda, if you keep crying, i'll never be able to leave." She gave the elderly woman a sad smile, telling her she wanted to go, but she cared about her.

"Don't you worry about a poor old woman. You go and make a life for yourselves." She said backing away from the vehicle as Anna stepped back towards it.

"We Will," Anna said, as she stepped back into the jeep and closed the door.

A moment later, Elsa slid into her seat. She looked over at Anna who was smiling expectantly at her. "Are you ready?"

"Mhmm," her smile widened. "Ready when you are."

Elsa shifted the vehicle into gear and sped off down the road that they had come in on.

 _ **A Few Hours Later, Somewhere in Northern Tennessee**_

She looked back over to Anna again, smiling fondly at her peaceful, sleeping form. _I don't know what this is I'm feeling towards you, but hopefully, i can work up enough courage to- Oh come on Elsa-_ She thought as she pressed the gas pedal. _-You've taken on the infected, insane people, and even an army and it's warlord!_ Her chest puffed out in pride and she continued the conversation with her thoughts. _I did, didn't I!? I can do this!_ She slumped slightly in her seat again, self doubt coming out of nowhere, making her face turn into a doubtful expression.

 _Can't I?_

 **A/N There's a song i listened to while writing this a lot and it really does go with it i think. Its called Bitter Roots by For Today. Give it a listen! no guarantees though cause the band is pretty heavy for most people.. Anywho! So this is The Longest Chapter in the story so far! and yes, i left it whole, because honestly, I love long chapters that can keep me entertained for a long time, so that's what i thought you guys would like. Many of you guys may remember from the beginning of this story that Elsa saved Anna and all that great stuff, so this is a flashback i wanted to incorporate into the story. The next chapter will be in the present, so no more flashbacks for now! I also didn't plan on splitting up the viewpoints, but i hope everything looks alright to you guys..**

 **Hope you guys liked it! and i really am sorry for not updating this story for so long.. i've had writers block with it for a while now.. hopefully that's been disposed of and my brains ready to write because i ship out in October to Syria and i really want to get some good content out to you guys, my awesome readers! As always, fav if you liked it, follow if you wanna get notified when i update and then please Review! I love hearing you guys talk about this.. It makes me really really happy when i read them and i hope you guys n gals will leave one because it just might give me that extra push i need on those nights where i have no clue what to write. I hope you guys enjoyed it! Thanks!**

 **Next up: Harmonization**


	13. Chapter 13: Harmonization

**A/N: I am so sorry about how late this is.**

 **Just wanted to give a thank you to a guest known as Zexs! Thank you for the support and your idea! Keep reading to see if your idea made it in haha. (It did, but still haha) And thank you! * salute ***

 **That's the kind of review i need to have more of. Thank you again Zexs, you made my day with your dual reviews :)**

 **Then another review came in from an unnamed guest.. I would just like to ask what was wrong with the story? If you tell me what's wrong, it may improve the story for everyone else! Just let me know what you think i'm doing wrong and/or what you want to happen, because that's the kind of review i'm trying to get less of.. I'd much rather get information with it, though, telling me what i did wrong instead of that.**

 **Anywho, back to the story.. oh and i changed a minor detail.. Elsa is a double D and Anna a C.. if you get what i mean lol. I mean i watched the movie (again!) and a PM i got was really right.. Elsa's breasts are bigger haha.. that is all, though! Yeah.. I'm a guy, Okay? I can do that.. I think. Oh! Which reminds me. Things will pick up at this point. Can't say much but I hope you guys like it!**

 **Enjoy!**

* * *

The large soldier who had brought the machine gun to Anna's and Elsa's position had walked over to in front of Madison. She looked up at his pain-filled expression. "I'm sorry," He said. "for standing here kinda awkwardly i mean." He knelt down in front of her. "He was my only friend here." He said solemnly. "Did you know him?" He asked, looking back up to her.

"No, but he just saved my ass, so i kinda wish i did." She said.

He nodded solemnly and scratched the line between his skin and the hair of his long black beard. "He was a good guy. Just last night i was having a beer with him talking about the way things used to be. I even held his newborn daughter for the first time." He looked up at Madison with an emotionless expression. the only thing she could make of his feelings was the single tear trail leading down his cheek and how piercing his dark eyes were. He looked back down and took a deep breath. "We were in the same unit before all this happened. Long time ago. Used to, there were more of us from the 82nd, but now.. "

"Who are you by the way? I don't think I've seen you around here before. I'm Aden if it makes you feel better about sharing."

"I-I'm Madison. I just moved here with Elsa and uhm.. Anna." She stuttered, slightly intimidated by his large, muscular form.

"Oh, you're who Isaac was tellin' me about. Those two may seem like a brick wall at first, but let me tell you, they are the nicest women you will ever meet."

"I thought you said he was your only friend here," She said pointing back to the deceased man.

"He was, but i enjoy aggravating Anna. She gets flustered way to fast and it's hilarious to watch Elsa ride me up the wall for it. Let's just say that we get along more then most." He chuckled again.

"Oh," was all she could manage, her attention going back the dead man lying before them.

"Sorry, i guess i'm just trying to replace loss with humor. Doesn't really look like it's working. With you _or_ me. "

"No, it's okay. I get it. My Papa was the same." she said.

"He gone, too?" He asked.

She was taking a moment to collect her feelings, but that was the pebble that was her undoing; she fell apart, the past few weeks having taken their toll on her. Tears brimmed her eyes as she looked back to him. She nodded,"Yes." There was a catch in her voice when she said it. He moved over to her and wrapped an arm over her, her face going to his bulky, but warm shoulder. She sobbed and let out her feelings of loss and hate in the form of tears that soaked into his olive green cotton shirt that clung to his form. He had shed his jacket during the firefight and she hadn't noticed until now. He stayed silent and let her weep silently and when she was done, he pulled away and got up, extending his hand out to her.

She took it and stood up with him, a hard expression overtaking her facial features. _Why does everything good have to fucking die?!_ She thought angrily.

* * *

Elsa and Anna had finished helping the other militia in removing the bodies and stockpiling the weapons from the battle and were now walking down the corridor that was the outermost segment of the settlement. The thunder outside hadn't showed any signs of letting up and the night sky was made even more black with the unseeable rain clouds.

"Wow, he-hey, easy with that thing! I swear i didn't shoot anyone!" They heard a middle aged man saying around a corner. Once they rounded it, they saw a man in old and worn clothes on the ground with his hands up in surrender, back to a wall with two militiamen holding him there with their rifles pointed directly in his patchy haired face. The two men stood silently, glaring down on him. When they noticed Elsa and Anna walking up they lowered their guard on the man slightly, lowering the barrels of their weapons inches lower than they had been.

"Who is he?" Anna asked, nudging her chin in the man's direction, but staring at the two with the guns.

"A prisoner. We caught him running down this way and stopped him to take him in for questioning." One of the men said.

"Well..? Are you going to question him, or aren't you?"

"We'll take him from here. And don't worry, we'll get him to Isaac before sundown." Elsa interjected between them. The two militiamen looked hesitant at first, looking to one another and shrugging. "Thank you." Elsa said as they passed.

"Now.." Anna said as she walked over to the man and squatted down beside him. "Where did you come from?"

"I-" The man was interrupted.

"Who's your leader?"

"It-"

"How many people have you killed?"

"Plea-"

"What's your name?" She continued her assault of questions as Elsa stood back, enjoying the metaphorical cracking of the man's patience. "How about your friends? Ya know, the ones we killed? Where are they from? Did they abandon you? How'd you find us? Why did you find us? What abo-"

"Stop-"

"Were they your friends? I bet they left you because they didn't need you. That's how things work now, right? Were you a burden? Did you know this would happen?" She squated down next to him. "You did, didn't you. And you failed. How's it feel being a loser? Did you like watching them die? Is that why you came along? Or was it becau-"

"OKAY!" He managed to yell over Anna, silencing her. "I'll tell you what you want to know! Just please... shut up!"

"I wouldn't say that if i were you." Elsa said, with an amused grin that had grown onto her face.

"Well?" Anna looked at him anticipating at least _something_ to spill from his lips.

He stuttered yet again, "I-I-I.." he clenched his eyes shut. Anna smacked him across the face, leaving a bright red mark on his cheek.

"Talk, damn it!"

"I-It was Goran! Goran was who used to be our leader. But then this woman came out of nowhere and killed him! Now, now no one is in control. We're just a group of people picking up whoever we come across. B-But we saw a few trucks come in and out of here and stopped to scout it out. That's how we knew you were here and then after a few days, we decided to try and take it for ourselves, but you saw how that went."

"A waste. Ya know, you should really _plan_ before you take on a place like this instead of just taking it head on."

His head went down in shame. "We lost a lot. And you're right. That's all this was was a waste."

"Yeah, well you should've thought of that _before_ you came knocking on our door."

He didn't look up at them, but from Anna's angle, she could see the darkness creep into his eyes and she heard the man hum contently as he looked up at the two with a defiant smirk. "Even with our losses here, you still could never take the rest of us on."

"What are you saying?"

"Don't you get it, you idiot? There's even more of use out there than you saw today!" He now looked to Elsa. "And they're coming here."

Anna looked back at her. The worrisome expression on Anna's face told Elsa everything she needed to know without the redhead uttering a single word. They needed to inform the militia that more were coming and fast. The attack could come at any moment.

"Where are they now?" She asked as Elsa's thudding footsteps beat off into the distance.

"What makes you think i'll te-" He was cut off by the grip of a pistol hitting the side of his face.

"I'll ask you again. Where are they?"

"Go to hell." He said, glaring at her while he pressed a hand to his reddening cheek.

 _Bang_

The man's shrieks, along with the gunshot, could be heard echoing throughout the halls that ran along the sides of the stadium. Blood ran out of a single hole in his right knee.

"Where are they?" Anna was becoming frustrated and angry that the man was still withholding this small, but crucial bit of information despite the pain.

She put the barrel up to his forehead and when he didn't answer her, she pointed it over his shoulder and fired three times out of a nearby window. The barrel, now searing to the touch, went back to nearly touching his forehead.

He felt the heat radiating off it and began to panic. "Wait, wait, wait, wait-"

"Im listening."

"There's this.." He gulped loudly, "There's a building. Real big. Lots of rooms. That's where they are."

A few seconds past and the man's eyes flicked from the hot barrel to Anna's aggravated freckled face. "There's more." She said bluntly.

"Uh.." He visibly shook as he clenched his eyes shut and contemplated his words. "It's called a uh.." he snapped one of his fingers as if it would bring the answer out. "A mall! The Memphis Central Mall. That's what it said on a big sign on the outside. My people will be hiding there after getting beat up like this. They'll be expecting you!" Anna tilted her head to the side, wanting to know the juicy details they needed to make this easier than it would be without them. "Th-There's a parking garage next to it that connects to the top floor with a hallway-looking bridge."

Anna looked back at Elsa who raised an eyebrow. "I think that's what we needed." She shrugged and put the pistol away. She stood up and waved to a nearby soldier who walked over to where they were standing."This is one of the people who just attacked us. He's a prisoner, so i'm sure Isaac and a few of his men would like to have a word with him."

The soldier growled low in his throat with a glare at the man. "I think I have some choice words I'd like to share with him, too."

"Easy, big guy. Still need him conscious for the _real_ words he'll be hearing pretty soon."

"Oh, don't worry. I'll go easy on 'em." He said, and walked away with the man -now a prisoner- being pushed toward the entrance hallway where the militia headquarters was located.

"So," Anna said, turning on her heel to face Elsa. "You feel like doing some recon with the boys?" she nodded in the direction of a group of soldiers on break. "Or would you prefer to take this one with moi?"

Elsa looked down at the slightly shorter redhead. "I think we both know that i'd choose the latter any day."

Anna giggled lightly and hummed contently as she leaned her head forward onto Elsa's chest, the older girl's arms wrapping around her. "Good. I just wanted to make sure." She raised her head up and rose to her tip-toes and connected her lips with Elsa's. When they lost contact with each other and the butterflies that always followed went away, they stared with equal endearment into eachother's eyes.

"Oye!" They heard a man's voice over the edge of the walkway that's view went down to the middle of the stadium, causing their attention to switch course. The person in question, an average height man with short cut hair and five o'clock shadow who was wearing a black long sleeve with black and grey digital camouflage pants, was speed walking along a lower level among the stadium's seats, calling out to a couple soldiers who were sitting and leisurely smoking. He stopped next to them and looked to be in conversation with them.

Anna tore her eyes away from the mystery man and looked at Elsa, who looked just as confused as to who this guy was. A few seconds after he had started talking to the two soldiers, his head snapped up in their direction, his eyes directly on them. He bid the two farewell and started on his way up the nearest set of concrete stairs that led up to Anna and Elsa's position.

Anna looked back to Elsa, who was also looking at her with wide eyes and an 'here we go..' expression. She raised her eyebrows and sighed heavily before the man reached the floor they were on.

"Can we help you?"

"Yes, you surely can." he said with a slight british accent as he stopped in front of them. Judging by his voice and the stress marks on his face, he was probably about thirty two or thirty three, but well built. _M_ _ilitary,_ Elsa thought. "Ya see, my boys and I were lookin for two women out here. Heard some stories n' thought we could really use you for our mission." He straightened his spine and crossed his arms over his chest. "Now, that is of course if the stories are true."

"What stories?" Anna asked.

"Don't know, you tell me." He said, cocking his eyebrow with a cocky grin.

"Look, if you want something, speak up." Elsa said, stepping in front of Anna. "Otherwise, take your guys and your _mission_ and get out of here." she practically spat the word.

The man grunted, almost seeming amused. He chewed on the inside of his lip with his eyes slightly slitted, looking like he was hesitating, and then, in a millisecond, had his hand out to them. "Names Harvey. Nice to see ya straight to the point."

Elsa eyed the hand a few moments before taking it. "Elsa. And this is Anna, my _girlfriend_."

"Oh. I didn't take you fuh the type." Upon seeing the apprehension in the two's faces, he faltered, his mind going blank. "I-I mean i didn't think you two were together. I thought you were just a team like me n' me boys. Sorry." Elsa simply glared and behind her she heard Anna huff. The man looked sort of embarrassed with his failed flirtation, with his whole face turning a particularly light shade of pink. "Well, at least you're the two we've been lookin' for." He said, his hand scratching the back of his neck.

Elsa rolled her eyes and almost jumped when she felt Anna's hand slide into her own, but then a small smile grow towards the redhead.

"It's okay." She said, stepping up to Elsa's side.

"So, what do you need us for?"

"Glad you asked. Means you're interested." He chuckled to himself. "Not here. Meet us down in the ma'ket. We'll take you to where we're staying n' tell you. For now just act like you don't know who we are."

Elsa's brow furrowed, "But we _don't_ know who you are."

"Exactly." He said as he turned and started back down the stairway he had come up.

"What do you think that was about?" Anna turned towards her.

"I don't know. I guess we're gonna find out soon enough, though." She swung their hands between them. "Come on. Let's go home for a little bit and then we can go."

"Okay." Anna said with a smile growing on her lips.

* * *

They walked into the front door with their fingers still interlaced with Elsa tugging Anna through the living room and into the hall. Elsa pulled her hand away and started backwards toward their door, "You remember what you started after we showed Madison around?" She said with a mischievous grin.

Anna giggled and closed in on the blonde. "How could i forget?" She got closer until Elsa's back was against their door, bodies pressed together, noses touching, eyes locked, and Anna's hands on the wood to either side of Elsa's head. A cold hand came up to caress her cheek and she leaned into it, loving the cool sensation against her skin.

"You are so adorable." Elsa cooed, smiling. Anna's eyes slowly slid shut along with Elsa's as both girls tilted their heads, allowing their lips to connect. One of Anna's hands moved down and trailed behind Elsa's neck while the other slid down her side and wrapped around the small of her back, drawing the slightly taller woman in tighter. Elsa's hands started at the top of Anna's back and trailed downward, until they rested upon each cheek of Anna's behind and when she felt the redhead's tongue run over her lips, begging for entrance, she opened her lips a fraction of an inch; Anna's tongue happily accepting the invite. Hell could freeze over and they wouldn't have separated from their deeply intimate embrace. Elsa lifted the younger girl up with ease, Anna almost squealing when she felt the rise in elevation. Elsa's mouth went to the younger girl's neck and nibbled at the freckled skin she found there, enticing heavy huffed breaths from the redhead. Anna reached behind her and opened the door and Elsa walked them to the bed, and slowly but softly, laid Anna down onto it.

Not skipping a beat, she straddled Anna, trapping her body between Elsa and the mattress. Their lips collided a second time and hands ran over clothed bodies as one pair of lips split to allow the other's tongue inside yet again. Elsa could feel Anna's hands drifting lower and down her sides, then to her stomach. They finally reached their destination; the clasp of her jeans, and they began the task of getting the button undone. This proved frustrating for the redhead and Elsa could feel it as her tongue ran over Anna's, which had halted its energetic dance with it's partner. Elsa pulled her mouth away a fraction of an inch and stared into the teal-blue eyes beneath her with a smile gracing her warm red lips and she reached down between them and unclasped the button for her.

Elsa leaned forward again and pecked Anna's lips, pulling away after a few seconds of contact. Her hands ran down the redhead's body until they reached the line between her pants and shirt. She quickly unbuttoned Anna's cargo pants. Their lips then crashed together again. Elsa crawled slowly down Anna's body, placing small kisses all the way down her shirt covered chest and then stomach. Looking back up at the red-haired beauty, Elsa saw the perfectly freckled face staring back at her with hooded eyes and a lip between pearly white teeth as she shimmied the pants down her fair skinned freckled legs. After Elsa had crawled back into the previous straddle position she had been moved from, Anna decided she would have none of this. She was used to being on top. Not the other way around.

She snaked an arm around the small of Elsa's back and the other across her shoulder blades and rolled them over, their lips still not breaking contact. After moments of their lips and tongues moving together, she sat up and grabbed onto the material of Elsa's pants, who had raised her rear off the bed to help, and pulled them off with ease. She threw the pants over her shoulder and heard them hit the floor and then gasped in surprise when she felt Elsa's hands on her sides and lips just below her navel. She looked down from where she was kneeling, and ran a hand through the platinum head of hair that was below her. Anna's eyes closed, and mouth partially opened; breathing becoming heavier with Elsa's mouth creeping ever so slowly upwards along with her hands and with them, Anna's shirt.

By the time Elsa's lips came between her breasts, Anna's face was red and her skin sensitive with goosebumps. Then Elsa stopped and kissed up one of her breasts with a path to her pink nipple, taking it into her mouth and rolling it between her teeth before trailing across her chest to the other and repeating her actions there, licking it before returning to her route of kisses up Anna's center. She got to Anna's collarbone and bit along it, gaining barely audible moans from the redhead in return. By this time, both girls were on their knees facing eachother, chest to chest and nearly face to face.

All Elsa had to do was move her face up a few inches and they would be staring into eachothers eyes; had Anna had her eyes open, anyway. Her lips did just that, going from Anna's collarbone to her neck to stop momentarily at her fluttering pulse where Elsa nippled at it. She felt one of Anna's hands touch the back of her head, gently pressing her further into it, and stayed until the spot was coated in her saliva and bit marks. She kissed to Anna's jawline, nibbling along it until she got to her chin and then, against Anna's expectations, kissed the tip of her nose, then the corners of her lips. Anna's expression was one of a deep lust and slight frustration when Elsa opened her eyes to see the reaction; she was pleased to say the least.

* * *

Madison walked home at a slow, thoughtful pace. Her hands rested in the pocket of a black hoodie she had been given by a militia soldier when he had seen her shivering a bit from the cool air entering through the breaches in the stadium from the outside. She had thanked him and walked away, waiting to put it on until she was sure that it didn't have blood stains or a stench to it. For all she knew, it was a trick. But when the soldier didn't come after her to retrieve it, making her look like a fool, and no stench came, she gladly put it on.

The face of the soldier was still on her mind when she walked up to the door of her new home. She stopped before opening it, though, looking along the oaks length, taking in the carved detail. A week or two ago, she only had plywood and some two by fours as a front door. Now, it was artfully carved oak wood. It may have just been a door, but it was also something else in her mind. A reminder of what she now had, yes, but also a reminder of what she once was. After a few moments of openly staring at the door and then feeling slightly embarrassed for it, she opened it and stepped inside the home.

Instead of walking on in after closing the door, she remained still just inside, enjoying the heated home and the aroma of it. The slight strawberry smell made her smile and try to remember what it was called, but then moved that to the side of her mind when she heard a noise from Elsa and Anna's room. She didn't think anything of it until she heard what sounded like Elsa moaning in pain. She ran to the door but stopped with her hand on the handle. What if she walked in on a bloody mess? What if one of _them_ were in there? She slowly pushed the handle down, and pushed in, peaking through a small crack preparing for the worst.

Instead, her eyes grew wide when she saw a tangle of limbs and a mess of tangled platinum blonde and fiery red hair. The mess separated and there she could see a trail of saliva connecting Anna and Elsa's lips and then heard both women moaning with their bodies moving against each other. Madison's face quickly became red and she backed away quickly from the door before moving equally as fast, closing it quietly. She brought her hands up to cover her face in embarrassment. From what? She couldn't pinpoint it exactly, but she knew one thing she couldn't admit to herself aloud.

The footsteps leading to Madison's room and the door shutting behind them were drowned out by the two women, solely focused on one another.

* * *

Both Women moaned aloud in pure ecstasy as their centres moved against eachother. They pushed their hips together, panting heavily and not showing any signs of slowing until Anna let out a long, drawn out moan followed by Elsa latching onto her neck with her teeth. Their legs tangled together while their bare panting chests remained a sweaty mass of skin sliding against skin. The exception of Elsa whose moaning was muffled by her lips being against the skin of Anna's neck. Elsa knew from Anna's legs becoming tighter that she was close to going over the edge. She also knew that she, herself, wasn't there yet, but she wasn't far behind Anna. So Elsa kept a tight hold on her with every limb and even the teeth still connected to her neck and rolled them over so she had the advantage.

She brought her face back up to Anna's, leaving a soft red bite mark that surrounded Anna's pulse, and sloppily kissed Anna before pulling away just an inch or so and started thrusting harder into Anna. The redhead started crying out as Elsa pushed harder into her and Elsa followed suit with her own cries of pleasure. Anna brought her arms under Elsa's and moved her hands up her back, clawing at Elsa's porcelain skin. Her back arched into Elsa and she could hear the catch in her throat as she went over the edge.

Moments later she was feeling aftershocks along with the feeling of Elsa's quaking body against hers. Both girls felt the other shivering, latching onto eachother to stay anchored in reality. After the aftershocks had passed and their breaths calmed, Elsa propped herself up over Anna on her elbows and looked into her half lidded eyes. She pecked the redheads lips and remained there a few seconds longer then she had meant to but pulled away, nonetheless.

She smirked down at her lover. "Best sex of your life?"

Anna rolled her eyes and shoved her pillow in the blondes face. "Only sex of my life."

Elsa laughed into the feather filled piece of cushion and raised up to place it under her onto Anna's chest and rested her chin on it, still smiling endearingly at her girlfriend. "And proud of it." She winked at Anna, causing the already smiling redhead to blush slightly. Then her expression turned to one of confusion when she looked over Elsa's shoulder.

"Didn't we shut the door when we came in?"

* * *

Harvey picked up his G3A5 and pulled back its charging handle, making sure he had correctly replaced every part in this fine piece of German and American engineering. He let it go with a distinct _clack_ when the bolt slid back into place.

"You really think they'll help, suh?" He heard Nelson's, an SAS Corporal under him, Irish accent from behind him.

"Don't know, lad. I'm just hoping these stories we've been earin' are the truth. If that blonde can actually do what they say she can, I'd say we have a chance."

"Sure do hope so. Otherwise, this whole missions fucked." Jason, a Delta who had volunteered along with a Ranger, two Marines, and an Air Force Para-jumper from Camp Dorado back in North Carolina where Harvey and his recon platoon of twelve SAS shock troopers that had linked up with US military remnants for what also remained of British Command years back.

They were reassigned to urban ops with elimination of the undead where ever they were encountered and secure civilians when they ran across them. The two militaries Brass members got together on the USS John F Kennedy and formed the Northern Atlantic Joint Armed Forces. The branches still held together, only the Brass was bigger and some didn't like it, but most didn't mind the knowledge that there were others across the ocean fighting the good fight.

"So what about the raid that just happened? We gonna let 'em just walk away and regroup like that?" Gruman, the younger of the two Marines, asked.

"We'll see what the locals have planned. Who knows; maybe they'll come to us for a little friendly support," he grinned looking down at his weapon, working the action back again and releasing it for a full c _uh-clack_ of the slide. "I say we wait."

His team that was gearing up around him all nodded in agreement.

"Did you even tell them what we were doing, Harvey?" Vallerie, the brunette Air Force PJ and only female on the with them, spoke up after Harvey had stood up. She looked up at him under a green woodland boonie hat with a raised eyebrow.

"Oh fuh fucks sake. You know right and well i can't just put it all out there, V. I suggest you keep that mouth of yours shut if you know whats good fo' ya. I don't want to have to tell ya again." With that he walked out of their temporary housing and onto the stadium floor heading for their parked vehicles.

The Brunette rolled her grayish blue eyes, an act that went almost unnoticed by the others. She lugged her M14 EBR over her shoulder and walked out behind the rest, biding her time for a mission of her own.

* * *

 **A/N Hey Guys! So it's been awhile since we had some smut sooo here you go! haha I hope it's okay.. i'm probably a little rusty because i haven't written smut for a while now.. Anywho, How'd you guys like it? i know there's some changing and adapting going on in this chapter and i hope it's not too much of a difference maker in this story, but this is something that i feel like I can use to further it for you guys. Originally, it was just going to be a story about them going across the United States and all their adventures and stuff, but now i'm thinking a little bit bigger? like the venturing to other countries bigger..? Also, i fixed the cringe-worthy thing of a second chapter.. sorry about that haha. I wrote that when i was still kind of new to writing smut. Anywho, i was thinking of having them go to a few other US locations first off to show kind of the extent of this plague and what its done to humanity and then head on from there.. let me know what you think with a review! This is where you guys can shape the story a bit unlike others. Just lemme know what you guys think about it. As always, favorite if you liked it, follow if you wanna get notified when i update, and leave a review! Please, oh please leave a review! lol i need them.. badly because i don't know what you guys want! i mean, unless i'm doing good.. please tell me what you think! Thanks!**


	14. Chapter 14: Elimination Process

**A:N/Hey guys, I need some help; I'm trying to replace the name Veronica with Vallerie. There's this other story called Even at World's End with a lot of similarities I was just shown and there are a lot of things that are the same. He hadn't updated in, like, a year so there was no way for me to find it while it was buried under everything else. But yeah, it was weird seeing the same ideas (even names!) in another story I had never read before. So out of respect for a story two-three years older than mine, I'm changing V's name and I'm gonna try and steer clear of his ideas while still staying original.**

 **I want to thank a guest by the name of Sparkling; thank you for the praise! im glad you're enjoying it and i could make something that interests you. Love from Norway!(for the moment)**

 **Hope you guys and gals enjoy! =D**

 ** _Also: Special thanks to FFnet user rareID for editing this chapter._** **_It would have been way worse had he not XD (there were so many mistakes..) and also to Cyrianu for the feedback!_**

* * *

Harvey sat on the edge of his cot with a boot on his knee, rubbing away at the flakes of mud that had started to cake to the outer surface. The others around him were either asleep, reading or finding some other way of keeping themselves entertained.

"They still coming over, Boss?" Sham, the older of the two Marines, asked.

Harvey looked up, breaking from his concentration. "What's tha'?"

"The girls. Are they coming over for a little tea party or what?"

"Guess we'll just 'ave tuh-" knocking on the door interrupted his sentence.

Gruman got up and opened the door. Seeing who it was, he stepped aside and allowed the two women in question into their lodging.

Harvey stood, extending his hand to the two. "Welcome, ladies," Harvey said. After both had shaken his hand, and him not wanting to be a rude host, grabbed chairs from another room and set them in front of his cot for the women to sit. "'ave a seat."

Anna sighed contently at the comfort of plopping down onto the cushion while Elsa simply sat with her back straight and eyes locked on Harvey. "So what is it exactly you brought us here to talk about?" Elsa asked

"Ah, the question of the century," Harvey said. "Well 'is'll take a bit so I suggest you get comftabul'."

"Way ahead of ya," Anna said, leaning back into her seat.

"So, 'ow long's it been since the outbreak?" Harvey asked. "Anyone know?"

"About twelve years now?" Jason spoke up, from under his arm that was draped over his head.

"Thirteen on the sixth of next month," Vallerie said, turning a page in the book she was reading.

"Thirteen years. You'd think someone would've come up with a cu'e of some kind by now." Harvey said.

Elsa's brows were furrowed. "Yeah, but so what?" she asked. "If they even got close, there's no way they could do it now."

"You sure 'bout that?" Harvey smirked.

Elsa looked down in thought.

"We go' a tip from a suhviva that was picked up a couple months ago that the's a lab up North 'round the Great Lakes. 'e said that they wuh close. Now this 'mission' that I've been on about is simple. We go and get that place up n runnin' again. Save the whole fuckin' wuhld." Harvey smiled.

"Okay, that sounds great and all, but why would you need us?" Anna asked.

Harvey chuckled to himself. "Cause your guhlfriend 'as a gift that'll make sure most of us get back home safe n' sound," he said, with a knowing grin.

"What do you mean?" Anna blurted, and looked over to Elsa who was looking at Harvey in disbelief.

"Rule numba' one of secret keeping: No witnesses. On multiple occasions, we've heard the same thing. So.. nothin' really to hide anymore," Harvey smirked at her.

"I'm not sure what you're talking about." Elsa looked around at the others who weren't really paying attention.

"The ice. You can control it. I haven't seen ice for several winters now. Always made me feel like kid again. To be completely honest with you, I, and I'm sure the others, have no problem with it. Which is why I'm sayin' this he' away from everyone."

"Even if I do have this, as you say, control, I have one thing I want before I give you anything."

"Oh? And what's tha'?" Harvey said, looking back up to the women.

"You help us get rid of the people who just attacked."

He sucked on his tongue for a moment and looked down to the boot in his hands. He then brought it up to eye level, making Elsa jump with how close it was. He turned it in his hand and when he was satisfied with how clean it now was, he brought it down and looked back up to the blonde. "Okay. Deal."

* * *

The inside of the mall seemed almost derelict through Anna's binoculars. Her and Elsa were in the parking lot along with three militiamen scouting the place out just behind an overturned car. So far, there was no signs of the raiders that had hit their settlement. Only a few infected stood in the lot before them, wandering aimlessly to nowhere in particular.

That was until an older model white ford truck arrived and stopped in front of the parking garage next door. Before Anna knew it, the metal door that blocked the entrance slid to the side, followed shortly after by the truck moving in. The infected continued on their courses, seeming to hardly notice the faded white vehicle enter.

Anna felt a hand rest on her shoulder and looked to her side to see Elsa's blue eyes looking back at her. She saw Elsa's mouth move but didn't really make an attempt to listen and instead got lost in the blue orbs in front of her. The hand shook her and brought her back out of her daze, kind-of, and, with a slight tint to her cheeks, she shook her head, bringing her back to reality.

"Huh? Sorry, I kinda zoned out there," Anna said.

One of the corners of Elsa's mouth rose slightly.

"I was just asking how it looked out there," Elsa repeated.

"Oh, right," Anna said. "Well besides a few undead milling about in our way, we should be pretty set in terms of safety. I haven't spotted any lookouts yet, but that could change really quick."

Elsa nodded slowly, looking behind her to the three men watching their backs. Anna looked back through her binoculars at the mall and then back to the parking garage. After what felt like forever, she turned and looked at the blonde. "I think we're clear," Anna said.

Elsa nodded once and turned, tapping the shoulder of the closest soldier.

"Wait!" She heard Anna hiss, stopping Elsa in her tracks.

Elsa got to where Anna was watching and looked over the lot, scanning for movement. She didn't see any. "What's wrong?"

"The skybridge connecting the garage and the mall. Someone just walked through it."

"Are they still up there?"

"No," Anna brought the binoculars down and looked back.

"Then what're we waiting for?" Elsa questioned.

Anna shrugged and pushed the binoculars back into her pack and slung it onto her back. Elsa tapped the soldier again and then turned to follow Anna who was waiting for an infected who had wandered into their path to the building. Once it had passed a safe distance, she crouch ran to a car not to far away, and turned, waving back at Elsa for her to follow. They did this until the last man had joined them behind a large van that was as close to the doors as they could get.

Anna peaked around the side of the van into the glass but still saw no movement. It was dark inside; but not dark enough to not see through the glass. She looked back at the group and snapped her fingers to get all of their attention and pointed at the door which was chained shut from the inside.

"No way we're getting in through there without making a shit ton of noise," one of the soldiers said.

"Maybe one of the other entrances is open," Anna suggested, and smiled back at the group.

Sure enough, all the other doors were the same story. All barred or locked from the inside.

Elsa turned to one of the men. "Radio back to Harvey. All entrances are red. We're falling back."

The soldier nodded and produced a small phone connected to a box on his belt with a wire and, after a moment, Harvey's voice came over the airways with, "Confirmed. Fall back and we will reassess the situation."

Anna looked back across the lot to the car that they started at and started to crouch run to the first car in their miniature relay to the other side. Along the way, she caught the attention of an unwanted set of eyes.

Anna started on her way, holding her pack strap tight against her chest. She had her body low like she had been taught, minimizing her as a target and also ensuring a decent pace. This process soon collapsed in the back of her mind when she heard a deafening screech. She stopped mid-pace and grabbed on to her ringing ears. Before she could react, the undead corpse was almost on top of her. It's arms grabbed at her red and white hoodie before she grabbed onto its shoulders holding it back. It lunged at her throat, snapping its rotting teeth inches away from her skin.

Its snapping ceased and after a moment the body went limp, falling to the ground. Behind it stood Elsa with a bloody knife that dripped to the concrete below.

"Thanks," Anna sighed with relief, and smiled.

Elsa smiled back and followed when the redhead turned and walked away to where Harvey was waiting for them with his platoon. "What've we got?" Harvey inquired.

"Not much, from the looks of things," the redhead said. "Only way inside is the parking garage, and the only way in there is a metal shutter door at the front entrance."

"So stealth isn't an option here," Vallerie said.

"Doesn't look like it." Anna said, her hands going to her hips.

"Alrighty then," Harvey said and turned to his men. He raised his arms in the air. "Shall we, boys?" His SAS troopers had stayed back at the Pyramid Colony in case another attack came. Only the volunteers had come along. They all walked up to stand next to him, creating a circle with the girls and the three soldiers they had brought.

"What's the plan?" Bradley, the Ranger, spoke up.

"'Ow many entrances are the'?" Harvey asked them.

"There's five public entrances and nine utility. We checked them all and all of them are locked up tight," Elsa said.

"The public entrances, are they all glass? We can have our way in at one of those if they are. Easily," Gruman added.

"Yes, most of them are." Elsa said.

"The metal door to the garage; we could easily blow through that with our humvee." Jason spoke up.

"Why don't we split up? Half takes the main building while the other takes the garage?" One of the soldiers, his name tag read 'Arellano,' suggested.

"Not a bad idea, that. Anyone volunte' to go with blondie and them?" Harvey turned to the rest of them

When no one spoke up, Vallerie walked up to beside Anna, holding her M14 in her arms. "Why not?" she said, receiving a few looks from the group.

"Right. We've got the garage, you've got the mall. Signal ova radio when ready and we'll breach and clea'." Harvey said, grabbing his rifle off the hood of their humvee.

Elsa nodded and led her group to the parking lot as she heard a engine sputter and start behind her. They moved the same way as they had earlier all the way back to the same van and waited until Harvey radioed the 'ready' mark, which was two clicks of his button. After she made sure her group was, she did the same and moved up to the stone and concrete wall of the building itself just next to where the glass of the entrance could be viewed through.

"Clive!" Elsa whispered loudly. "Come up here."

Clive lowered his M249, side stepping over to her and kneeled in front of her, facing out towards the lot. "Yes, ma'am?"

"I'm gonna need you to help if this glass doesn't break," Elsa said, looking at him urgently.

He looked back with a 'huh?' expression. She needed to be sure they got through. On more than one occasion had she kicked at glass, expecting it to break, but instead was only met with a spiderwebbed pane. This time, she'd be sure to have help if that happened again.

"Just be ready." Elsa said, turning back to the parking lot.

He looked away, raising his weapon back up. "Yes, ma'am."

Static came over the radio and then Harvey's voice followed with, "Moving in three. Two. One. Mark."

The roaring of the humvee's diesel engine could be heard from their position and even more so when it crashed through the steel door. Elsa took a step forward, cocked her leg and drove her foot as hard as she could into the glass. She felt a hard thud and brought her foot forward again, bringing it back on the glass a second time, feeling the spider web cave a bit. She then brought it forward for a third and final time, but stopped when Clive charged shoulder first into the barrier, shattering it completely. The group looked ahead at the man.

Clive stopped looked back at them. "Shall we?"

Elsa stepped through, thanking Clive on her way. The group stepped through the open secondary entrance and into the mall itself. Elsa led them to the first intersection of the strips of shops and stopped. Nothing was there. No one in sight and it looked as though if the shops had been cleared out long ago. The heavy report of the .50 cal and several small arms leaked into the building along with the flashes, illuminating the skybridge doorway like a flashing light. Elsa's group hugged the wall, moving forward with their weapons at the ready. Both Anna and Elsa had left their rifles at home and were brandishing their sidearms; Anna a Beretta M9 and Elsa a Sig Sauer P226.

They sidled along until reaching a stopped escalator and climbed up it quietly, still watching their surroundings. A sound that could just be made out over the thundering firefight in the next building over caught the group's attention. Anna's small light on her pistol came on and shone into a storefront. The inside looked empty, the shelves devoid of anything but gathering dust and empty display cases, but the sound had still been heard. Anna walked through the glass doors into the shop followed by Elsa and then Clive, leaving the other three outside to cover their exit.

Each cleared a separate aisle, moving through them and making sure there was no one hiding. Anna had cleared the final row and came upon the cashier's desk. She turned off her light and raised her gun, side stepping to the register-desks entrance and stopped for a moment, watching along the edge for movement. When nothing happened, She quickly side-stepped again, turning on her light, revealing a man nearly squeezed under the counter.

"F-f-fuck!" he stuttered, backing away until his back collided with the counter. His eyes wouldn't stop moving, first looking to Anna and then down to the floor and then to the counter and back to Anna again. He looked to the counter and back two more times before Anna glared at him.

"Don't. You. Dare," she growled, through clenched teeth.

He moved quickly, grabbing a pistol that was taped to the underside of the counter and firing off a shot before one of Anna's bullets struck him between the eyes.

Anna hissed and brought a hand down to her side, keeping the gun raised. She felt a wet warmth growing on her side, along with a stinging, burning sensation. Anna clenched her teeth, squeezing the trigger a second, then third time, and continued pulling the trigger until the slide locked back. She then threw the empty weapon at the man's body in a fit, and kicked him. "That hurt!" she snarled, keeping her voice down despite the pain.

Anna felt the cool hands of her girlfriend on her shoulders the next second, leading her away from the corpse. Clive retrieved her pistol and followed them out.

"Hey, are you feeling okay?" Elsa asked. They looked into eachother's eyes. "Let me see it," Elsa said, concern evident on her face.

Anna lifted her hoodie and shirt, revealing the bullet hole just above her hip bone. She felt Elsa's cool hand move over the wound. It was cold, but the stinging went away after a moment. Anna looked down at Elsa, who was concentrating on the wound.

 _This isn't a bad cold. Just different._ Anna thought.

She felt it on her back a moment later, where the bullet had came out and, after a few moments, Elsa rose to meet her face to face.

All better?" Elsa asked, giving her a small smile.

Anna smiled back and nodded. They were brought back to reality when Clive held out Anna's M9. It took her a moment, but she grabbed it and they continued to the skybridge's entrance doorway.

Elsa, Anna and Vallerie took one side of the door while the three militia stacked on the other. Clive led the three, nodding to Elsa he was ready and she did the same. Both stepped out into the walkway, guns at the ready and their sides hugging the wall. They got to the wooden door at the end that opened to the garage. The firefight was still raging on, judging from the yellow flashes coming from the other side. Clive grabbed the handle and jerked the door open, allowing the rest entrance before moving in himself.

A grey Nissan car was the first thing in view. Elsa led them to it, taking cover behind it and peeked over its hood. In front of them, they could see the exchange of bullets. Harvey and his men were thoroughly suppressed by a machine gun bearing down on them. The fire from the raiders didn't let up. They couldn't move or even shoot back with the gun in place.

"Clive!" Elsa yelled over the shooting.

Clive's head looked around Anna at her.

Elsa turned. "You see that truck across the way?" she pointed to a small silver truck on the other side of the aisle.

"Yeah," Clive said, as he moved up next to her.

"I want you to go over there and lay down fire while we move up on them. I'll tell you when to start shooting, okay?" Elsa said, and looked at him with urgency.

Clive nodded, crouched, and ran to the truck. He put the front of his gun against the side of the trucks bed, aiming it down the aisle towards the fighting, and looked over to Elsa to show he was ready.

Elsa turned to the others, and said, "Let's go."

She ran forward until she had passed three cars and ducked behind a fourth one, followed by Anna and Vallerie. She looked up for a moment when the two militiamen weren't behind them only to see them across the aisle, watching and waiting for her move. Between them and the fighting was a large area of empty spaces with few cars in between, making it risky if they continued. She looked back to Clive who was waiting with his eyes on her, ready to unleash hell on her command, and then to the two soldiers across the way, and turned back to the two women next to her.

"Be ready to start shooting," Elsa said. "I'm going to signal for Clive back there," she pointed over her shoulder, "to unleash hell and after he stops for his gun to cool off, we'll take out anyone who pops up along with the other two."

Both Anna and Vallerie nodded, Vallerie raising her rifle over the roof of the car they were behind and Anna checking her magazine before slapping it back in.

Elsa turned back and waved to the other two to get their attention along with Clive's. She held three fingers up.

Three.

Two.

One.

tightened her fist. Clive pulled the trigger, his weapon coming to life, slinging lead down the aisle and into metal, concrete, and flesh. He didn't stop until his barrel was bright orange, and slumped back down behind the bed. Seeing him go down, Elsa raised over the hood, along with Anna, and raised her pistol.

Some moments passed. Nothing seemed to happen. Surely there were a few left that were still able shoot back. Right?

Within a second, the fight was back on. Two raiders had risen up and fired back at them. Harvey's group on the other side of them opened up as soon as Elsa's did, forcing the two back into cover. Elsa looked across the aisle at the two soldiers. One grasped his shoulder which was bleeding through his fingers. The other kept his rifle up, prepared to pull the trigger.

She looked back at Clive, but didn't see him. She had little time to worry, however, as the shots rang out again. This time on the other side of Harvey and his men.

The radio on her belt crackled. "We're surrounded! We're gonna fall back out of here. You need to do the same or you'll get overrun!" Harvey's voice came through. Elsa looked back over the hood and saw Harvey go through a stairway door followed by Jason, Gruman and someone she couldn't make out with another on their shoulders.

She bent down, pulling Anna with her. "We're gonna fall back into the mall!" Elsa shouted. Anna nodded, and turned to relay the message to Vallerie while Elsa waved to the two militia. The one who got hit had turned pale and was resting with his back against the car's wheel while his friend kept shooting. He got the others attention and brought him down for Elsa who pointed back to the door and mouthed the words 'fall back.'

The soldier grabbed the wounded one's rifle, slung it over his friend's shoulder, and got ready to lay down fire for them. She looked back to the truck where Clive had been behind. He was nowhere to be seen, until Elsa looked closer. Just visible behind the tire was a upturned hand, unmoving and surrounded by a dark pool of blood and brass casings.

She looked beside her at Anna. Her back was against the car and her hands were on the gunshot from earlier. It had started to bleed again, and in their situation, there was little else she could do. Elsa put her hands to the entry and exit wound and closed her eyes. Anna looked up at her, confused. A faint glimmer came from Elsa's hands, and moved along Anna's skin, soft ice forming where blood had run out and eventually covered the wound up. Anna hissed and couldn't help but whimper at the cold sensation that both went through her and the ice that filled the bullet's path. Vallerie took carefully aimed shots, taking out a few of the raiders who had now linked up with the group that hit Harvey from the other side. They wouldn't last long out here.

"V!" Elsa slapped the woman's back who knelt down to look at her. ''We need to get out of here. Now! I need you to get Anna to that door-"

"You're not coming!?" Anna interrupted.

Elsa was horrified at the thought. "I'll be right behind you," she assured. "I have to help them out, too!" She pointed over her shoulder at the two soldiers who were being heavily suppressed, unable to even get a shot off.

Anna reached forward behind Elsa's neck and pulled her in, connecting their lips. The kiss was brief. "You better," Anna hissed.

Vallerie got down to her knees, throwing one of Anna's arms over her shoulder. "I'm ready to go when you are," the brunette said, eyeing the door.

Elsa stood up slightly, preparing herself and when she finally saw a gap, she took it. "Go, now!" she commanded.

Elsa rose out from the cover of the vehicle first, firing into the lines of cars until she reached the other side and ducked down next to the wounded soldier. She looked back in time to see Vallerie and Anna make it into the skybridge.

"How are you hanging in there, soldier?" Elsa asked, as she looked him over. His name tag read 'Hotchkins'.

Hotchkins looked up at her from under his black knit cap, face pale with a drip of blood from the corner of his mouth, and then looked down at his stomach where another splotch of blood had grown that went unnoticed by the others. "Still in the fight, ma'am," he wheezed. He grabbed his rifle that lay by his side with his good arm and pulled the slide back, locking a fresh round into the chamber.

"Stay with me. We're getting out of here, okay?" Elsa said; it wasn't a question.

"It's about time. What's the plan?" the other soldier, Arellano, a short, but bulky latino man, wondered.

"We run back to the door, laying down fire as we go," Elsa explained. She looked at the state of Hotchkins. He was holding his rifle to his chest, half way turned and looking over the car hood. "We need to get him out of here as fast as possible and back to the settlement. If we don't, he won't last very long."

"None of us will if we don't get out of here," Hotchkins said, still looking over the hood. "I'll stay here and draw their fire while you guys get to that door."

"No! No one else has to die. We can all make it back." Elsa exclaimed

He turned to face her, the look in his eyes telling Elsa more than words ever could.

"Let's get this done, man. We're getting back home," Arellano said, grasping onto the other man's arm and helping him sit up.

"Ready?" Elsa said, looking over the car

"As I'll ever be," Hotchkins said, with a loud cough.

"Go!" Elsa stood up and fired madly into the raiders cover, keeping them pinned until she had reached the wooden threshold. She peaked out the door.

"Let's go!" She yelled at the two.

Hotchkins stood up and started the time they had risen to make the final retreat, storms of bullets had whizzed by the two, striking either concrete walls, or the vehicles that were parked elsewhere. Just before Hotchkins made it, he turned and watched his comrade fall; several bullets striking his back. Hotchkins' vision became blurry and all rational thought left him. He walked through the storm of bullets, getting grazed several times and even hit in his chest, knocking the wind out of him and sending him to his knees just beside his brother. He stood after a moment and grabbed onto the strap on the back of Arellano's vest and dragged him all the way to across the threshold before he collapsed to his knees and fell back, his head landing next to his friends.

Anna knelt down to the two men, checking if they were still breathing while Elsa shut and bolted the door shut. Vallerie was on the other side of the skybridge, making sure their way out stayed clear. Anna felt the men's pulses and got nothing. She started to pull away and stand up when Arellano grabbed onto her wrist, scaring the breath out of her.

Arellano sat up and dry-coughed before turning to his friend that lay motionless on the floor. The bullets had torn through fabric and kevlar but were ultimately stopped by the steel plate in his vest. "He's gone, isn't he?" he asked, but it sounded like he already knew the answer.

Anna only nodded. She looked up at him, "He wouldn't have made it anyway. That shot to his stomach... there's no way."

Arellano and Anna were both shocked when the supposedly dead man took in a deep breath and startled awake, before sitting up and spitting out blood onto the carpet at their feet. His friend helped him sit back against a metal support so he could at least breathe. Anna stood beside him.

"How? He was dead!" Anna cried. "How the hell can he still be breathing?!"

Arellano didn't answer. He just grabbed ahold of the man in front of him by his vest collar and shook him awake. "You squared away, Marine?" he demanded.

Hotchkins slowly lifted his head and nodded. Anna walked up behind Elsa who was looking through the thick glass of the door they had just came through. "What do we do now?" Anna asked.

"We have to get these guys out of here and figure out if Harvey made it out," Elsa answered. She chewed on her lip. "Hey!" Elsa yelled, looking over to the brunette on the other side of the skybridge.

Vallerie turned back when no one answered and looked at Elsa. "Me?" she questioned.

"Yeah, what's your name again? I know Harvey said it before but..." Elsa let the sentence hang, with a shrug.

"It's Vallerie," Vallerie answered, amused.

"Is it clear out that way?" Elsa asked, walking towards her.

"So far as I can see, yes. We should get moving before that changes, though," Vallerie said, looking out the door once again.

"Right. Uhm," Elsa looked around her, "Arellano, get him up and ready to get out of here."

He nodded. "Aye, ma'am," he said as he picked the other up and slung Hotchkins arm over his shoulder. Elsa got on his other side and led them to the door Vallerie was at.

"Still clear?" She asked.

"Yes, as far as i can tell."

"Let's go, then."


End file.
